


Harder They Fall

by Inell



Series: Fools Rush In [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Dating, Eager!Steve, Fools Rush In Series, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Romance, Slow Build, Stubborn!Clint, Team Bonding, background Thor/Jane, background Tony/Pepper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-08
Updated: 2012-07-17
Packaged: 2017-11-09 10:30:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/454476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inell/pseuds/Inell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to thank everyone again for the comments/kudos left on the first part of this series, Louder Than Words. I am loving Clint/Steve like a crazy obsessed thing, and they've managed to break me out of a nearly two year bout of writer's block. This series is going to be a trilogy, and I'm nearly finished with this second part. I really hope that others are enjoying the Clint/Steve and sailing the ship with me! Thanks to Florahart and Sullacat for the hand holding and beta work. And thanks again for the comments/kudos y'all have left because those are really motivating and make me focus any spare minutes on writing more!

Clint’s slept in a variety of strange places during his life, but this is the first time he’s slept against the door to a linen closet when his own bed’s not that far away. His back is feeling it already, and he’s barely conscious yet. When he finally opens his eyes, he realizes he’s leaning against Steve’s side, and someone tossed a blanket over them at some point but didn’t wake either of them up. He’s not sure if he’s glad they weren’t disturbed or annoyed that they ended up sleeping on the ground in such an awkward position. Glad wins out with little deliberation, especially since he’s not sure he’d have believed last night actually happened if he’d woken up alone in his bed.

It did happen, though, and he’s feeling pretty silly for not realizing what was happening until he was told. Some spy he’s turned out to be. It’s probably a good thing that he’s generally the muscle since shooting targets doesn’t require him to assess the behavior of super soldiers from the past who have feelings for him. Fortunately, that’s likely to be a one-time occurrence, so he’s not going to worry about his lack of observational skills when it comes to his personal life. The important thing is that he managed to get his head out of his ass before he lost this chance with Steve.

Clint looks at Steve and can’t help but smile. He’s snoring softly, with his mouth hanging open a little and his neck twisted at an angle that’s going to probably be sore when he wakes up, but he still somehow manages to look good. And he’s Clint’s, for as long as they last doing this relationship thing. He’s never been particularly possessive about his sexual partners before, but he’s also never had anyone want to keep him around long enough for him to feel that way. Steve wants him, though. Even after Clint tried to make him understand this might not work and explained about his own lack of relationship skills, Steve still wants to do this. With him.

That’s enough confidence to ease some of Clint’s concerns, but he still isn’t sure if they can make this work. Steve’s never even had sex before, and that’s all Clint’s ever been good for in the past. He can’t use his body and skills to fill in any gaps that might show up while they do this. It’s scary when he thinks about it, since he’s always been able to rely on that physical stuff to please his partner even if they don’t get along or it was just a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. that required getting close to a target. With Steve, he’s got to depend on himself and who he is and how they get along outside the bedroom. He’s going to need to go slow, too, which isn’t his normal speed. Not that he’s ever been able to actually develop a speed before.

It’s new and different and terrifying, but he’s also excited and happy to be trying it, which helps with the fears a little. While watching Steve sleep, he decides that he’s going to do this right. He’s going to try to make this special for Steve, with real dates and moving slow so he doesn’t pressure or push things faster than they should go. He wants this to work, he knows, and that means he’s got to put in the effort. It’s got to be about them, not just sex, if they want this to last. He sees that watching Tony and Pepper, after all. They’re the first real example of a relationship he’s seen that actually works and is what he’s wanted but never thought he’d be good enough to have.

When he hears Steve’s breathing change, he knows he must be waking up. Clint reaches over to brush his hair back from his forehead. “Hey, sleeping beauty,” he murmurs, leaning over to brush a quick kiss against the corner of Steve’s mouth.

Steve tenses for a minute before he relaxes and smiles. “Wasn’t just another dream then?” He blinks his eyes and stretches, wincing as he rubs the back of his neck. “Ouch.”

“My back’s already sore. Think we might both need to bribe Bruce into giving us a massage today.” Clint watches Steve. “But, no, not a dream. We had our own Very Special Episode of Life with the Avengers last night, wherein we learned that Steve has been crushing on the really not at all observant and maybe even embarrassingly oblivious for a damn spy Clint, who’s been doing the same for months.”

“We have a television show now?” Steve ducks his head and chuckles. “I wouldn’t put it past Tony to suggest one of those internet shows, so don’t give him any ideas.” He looks up at Clint. “You’re not the only one who wasn’t observant, it sounds like.”

Clint reaches over to gently wipe the sleep from the corner of Steve’s eyes. “Well, you’re not a super spy, so you get a pass on that, I think.” He shrugs. They’d spent hours talking last night, before they’d fallen asleep, but they’d talked about everything except the relationship thing. Now, he isn’t really sure what to do. “So, you still want to do this?”

“I’m buckled up, baby. Though I don’t think the ride’s going to be that bumpy.” Steve reaches over to stroke his jaw, which makes Clint lean into the touch because it’s almost like being petted it feels so nice. “I have no idea what I’m doing, I’m still entirely sure what it’s going to be like to be with another man, but I want you, Clint Barton, and a good night’s sleep hasn’t changed that. If anything, it’s made me more determined not to let you go.”

“You always use my last name when you want me to pay attention.” Clint smiles. “Just don’t call me by my full name unless I’m in big trouble and need a warning to prepare for the worst.”

“So I should save Clinton Francis Barton until we’re fighting,” Steve says. “I’ll remember that. If you call me Captain outside of a mission, I’ll know you’re upset with me.”

Clint shakes his head. “Listen to us. We’re already figuring out what to call each other when we fight, and we haven’t even had a first date yet.”

“We’re being realistic. We’re both stubborn, opinionated, and aren’t very good at talking about stuff. I don’t think it’s bad to figure out key words now when we don’t actually need them.”

“You’re probably right. Besides, neither of us knows how we’re going to be when we’re in a relationship. It’s being proactive, if nothing else.”

“I, uh, I know that I don’t like sharing much. I get jealous sometimes when you spend all your time with the others. I’ll work on that, but I can’t promise it’ll get better, especially not if we’re involved.”

“For the record, you don’t need to be jealous, but I know that’s easier said than done. Just talk to me if you get too weirded out about stuff. Okay?”

“I might draw you a picture. I’m better with art than words.” Steve smiles sheepishly. “And, really, Natasha was the only one I thought you were dating.”

Clint nods. “I could see that, even if it’s not true. You’re over that, right? She’s my family, and we’re really close, so she’s going to be a huge part of my life. We touch and cuddle and do stuff that might bother you, but it’s not sexual.” He needs to know if that’s a deal breaker now before he gets in too deep. Nat’s not going anywhere, so Steve needs to be able to deal with it or else they’re over before they even get started.

“I know that now. I won’t say it doesn’t bother me, thinking about you being so close to someone else if we’re in a relationship, but I also know she’s your family. If Bucky was alive, I’d feel the same way about him, so I’ll try to remember that.” Steve shrugs. “As long as she stops looking at me like I’m going to do something to hurt you, I can accept her. I hope she’ll accept me one day, too.”

Clint laughs. “She already has or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. She approves, even if she doesn’t say it.”

“I think Tony and Thor are the only ones out of the group who are actually good with words, aren’t they? I’m starting to realize that.” Steve leans in to kiss the tip of Clint’s nose. “Is that okay? Kissing you, I mean. Should I ask before I do? Can we hold hands when we go out or would you rather not? I’m not sure what’s normal these days.”

“Who wants to be normal, Steve?” He finds it a little surreal to be discussing PDAs with Captain America, and he can’t help but wish Phil were here to see this. Not just because it’s Steve, but because Clint’s never done anything like this before and Phil would get it and support him in that quiet way without Clint even knowing half the time. “Why don’t we wait and see what happens? We can figure out our boundaries about that stuff as we go?”

“That sounds good. I wasn’t sure if we could do that or if it might make you uncomfortable. I don’t want to do anything wrong.” Steve looks nervous as he worries his bottom lip. “I know how relationships worked in my time, with courting and marriage, and some people had sex without marriage but it was usually loose women and men being men, which I know now was pretty hypocritical, but that’s how it was. I definitely don’t mind the change in sex being more open and accepted, but I don’t know how the rest of the relationship is supposed to go.”

Clint snorts. “Like I do? I’d suggest asking Pepper, but I doubt anything involving Tony is traditional or typical. This isn’t a movie, it’s real life, and we’re already good friends who share a house. Our friends get along because they’re basically the same people, and we know what buttons to push if we want to piss each other off. We also know how to make each other happy. I’d say we’re already pretty far along in the courtship thing, even if we didn’t know we were doing it in the first place.”

“Which leaves dating and kissing.” Steve grins. “I like those parts. Have you been with men before? I mean, sex with men.”

“Yeah. Both for fun and work.” He sees Steve’s curious look and knows he has to explain. “Sometimes, I have to get close to a target or was instructed to get information that would only be shared with a lover. The longest lasting sexual relationships I’ve ever had were all orders from S.H.I.E.L.D., so I’ve had male and female partners through work as well as for enjoyment. Don’t give me that look, Steve. It’s an unfortunate part of the job when you’re attractive and skilled. I haven’t been used in that way as often as Nat, anyway, and it’s just sex. It’s always been just sex.”

Steve still looks horrified, and Clint has to remind himself that he’s still a little naïve in some circumstances. “I can’t believe they’d make you…and Natasha’s had to…” He frowns. “That’s not right. I don’t care what they’re trying to save, that’s wrong.”

“Hey, it’s fine. Neither of us are being used on those kinds of missions now, and the past is the past.” Clint doesn’t really care because it’s not like sex is somehow worse than assassinating someone. “What I was trying to say is that I might be more experienced than you when it comes to the details, but it’s never meant more than getting off before. It’s going to mean more with you, and I’m not sure how that’s going to be, with emotions mixed up in it. Not even the time Nat and I tried, it was soon after we met and, well, we became friends after really. This is new to me in some ways, too, so I just wanted you to know that before we do this.”

“It’s not fine, but I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree. You’re not doing that ever again, though. I don’t care how much times have changed, you shouldn’t have to share your body unless you choose to do so.” Steve gives him that stubborn look that means Clint’s not going to change his mind on it. “I’m glad to know you’re going to be as inexperienced at some of this as I am, since I was a little worried about that.”

“Will you go out with me tomorrow, Steve?” Clint figures asking formally makes it special, and they’ve talked about a lot of shit this morning, but he still hasn’t even asked him out yet. “On a real date.”

Steve nods. “As Tony likes to say, duh. Of course I will. Do I get to find out where we’re going or is it going to be a surprise?” He smiles.

“A surprise.” He doesn’t even know where they’re going yet, but he’ll figure it out between now and tomorrow night. “I think we probably need to get up before whoever put this blanket on us comes looking for us. Want breakfast?”

“It was probably Bruce or Natasha. I figure that’s who the others would send out to find us. And breakfast sounds good. I think I’ll make omelets as an apology for my minor freak out last night. I’m still pretty embarrassed about that,” he admits.

“I think they understand.” Clint brushes Steve’s hair back from his forehead. “Tony was upset when he realized what he’d done, so you’ll probably have some new electronic gadget in your room when you get there. Really, you should consider omelets a thank you because we could have still been wanting without realizing if they hadn’t been nosy and pushy.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to reward their behavior. It’d just encourage all of them to meddle,” Steve says with a slight smile. “It’s bad enough when they do it unintentionally. We don’t want them doing it on purpose.”

“Eh, you’re probably right. You want some help with breakfast? I need to take a shower and brush my teeth, but then I’ll be ready to assume the role of assistant chef.” Clint enjoys cooking with Steve, enough so that he’s stopped ordering delivery all the time and is trying to do more in the kitchen. Grilled cheese sandwiches like he made last night is something he wouldn’t have bothered making months ago, after all.

“I never mind your help in the kitchen. And I need a shower and stuff, too. I’d say meet in the kitchen in twenty minutes?” Before Clint can answer, Steve leans in to kiss him. It’s almost innocent, if a kiss can be that, and he likes the way his heart skips a beat from something so simple and sweet. There’s a part of him that wants to deepen it, to slide his tongue into Steve’s mouth, but he restrains himself because they’re moving slow and taking it easy. When he feels Steve’s tongue lick his lips, he’s so surprised that he pulls back and blinks at him.

“You, uh.” Clint reaches up to scratch the back of his neck as he watches a blush spread over Steve’s cheeks even as he smiles. “We should, um, probably go, before Nat comes looking for us. She might seem cool and aloof, but she’d totally want details, and I’d rather eat before giving her the satisfaction of being smug about us being together.”

“Clint, take a breath.” Steve’s smile widens. “Was that okay? The kiss?”

Clint groans and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, it was more than okay. I just…we’re going slow, and I was startled, I guess.”

“Huh.” Steve stands up and offers Clint a hand to help him get to his feet. They’re no longer about the same height since they’re standing, and Clint has to tilt his head back to be able to see Steve’s face. It’s disconcerting, in a way, because Clint usually gets together with guys his height or shorter, but Steve doesn’t feel threatening. He knows he’s not going to overpower him or force him to do anything, after all.

“C’mon. Showers and food await us.” Clint starts to walk to the elevator before reaching back to take Steve’s hand. This is new, holding hands with his, what, boyfriend? God, Tony’ll laugh his ass off if they use that word to describe each other. His partner? That sounds like they’re on a mission or something. His Steve? Yeah, that sounds right.

When they reach the elevator, Steve moves behind him and rests his chin on Clint’s shoulder. “You know, I don’t remember ever agreeing to take things slow,” he says, his tone amused and Clint doesn’t even have to look at him to know he’s smiling.

“We didn’t talk about it.” Clint leans back slightly, resting his back against Steve’s firm chest. When Steve’s arms wrap around him, he feels safe and protected. Instead of disturbing him, he finds it comforting. “We’re doing the courtship thing, though, and that means dating and moving slow.”

Lips brush against his neck suddenly, and he shivers from the feel of soft wet against his warm skin. “We don’t have to move slowly on my account, in case I get a vote in this. I’ve committed to this, Clint, to you, and I’m not some scared virgin who needs to move at a drawn out rate.”

“Right. So you’re ready to go to my room now, get on your knees, and let me have you?” Clint gets where Steve’s coming from, and he understands wanting more, but he also knows they’re not a normal couple.

“I, well. Who says I’ll be the one on my knees? And what do knees have to do with it? Wouldn’t we be lying down?” Steve sounds curious and eager to learn, which are a destructive combination in an attack against Clint’s willpower and focus.

“Which is why we’re taking this slow and letting things happen naturally,” Clint says, feeling like he’s made his point. The elevator finally arrives, so he steps on and waits for Steve to enter before he hits the number for their floor. “Going slow doesn’t mean we can’t make out like teenagers during the elevator ride.”

“Good to know.” Steve grins as he steps closer and leans his head down. Clint leans up and shifts around until they’re able to kiss without bumping noses or standing too awkwardly. It’s only a couple of floors, so it’s just enough time for a few more sweet kisses.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

Dress casual. That’s all Clint had said earlier when Steve asked what he should wear for their date. Casual, it turns out, is a pretty broad description. Steve isn’t sure if it means a nice pair of khakis and pullover shirt or jeans and a t-shirt. He finally decides on jeans and a pullover, since it mixes up both of his options. Clint’s more of a jeans kind of guy, so that’s probably what he means by casual. It feels a little strange to be wearing something so informal for a first date, but he thinks it’s probably more comfortable than a suit, so he can’t complain.

It’s still a little early, since they aren’t meeting until seven, but he doesn’t want to risk being late, so he’s already taken his shower, found something to wear, and brushed his hair. He’s not sure if he should wear cologne or not, because it’s not something he generally wears but it seems to be appropriate for a date. He’s still debating that choice when he hears a knock on his door. “Come in.”

When Bruce enters the room looking sheepish, Steve’s somewhat surprised. He’d figured Tony would be the one to drop in to give him the pre-date speech, if one of them actually bothered with it. Bruce is probably the last one he’d expect, other than Thor. Bruce doesn’t seem uncomfortable, but there’s some awkwardness there. “Hey, Steve, how’s it going?”

“Did you get the short straw?” He sits on the end of the bed and stares at Bruce. It’s nice that his teammates care, and he knows they mean well, but sometimes it’s like they forget he’s a grown man who fought in a war. He might not know all the modern stuff, especially the pop culture things that Tony seems to find fascinating, but he’s picking things up pretty quickly. Sure, he’s never had a real romantic relationship and having feelings for another man is something new, but he’s pretty sure that happens to people everywhere, every day, so he isn’t all that special.

“Actually, rock, paper, scissors.” Bruce shrugs a shoulder. “It’s okay. I threw the round because the last thing you needed was Tony checking on you about this. Pepper’s taking care of Clint, since we decided Nat’s too close to be objective about anything.” He sits on the other side of the bed and smiles. “So, dating.”

“First date. Clint told me to dress casual.” Steve motions at himself. “I thought this would be good.”

Bruce nods. “Seems casual without looking like you wandered in from a thrift store. I think it should work.”

“I’m not planning on hurting him, if that’s part of this conversation.”

“It’s actually not. We all agreed that there’s no real risk of that, not intentionally, at least. Accidental hurting is excused since it can’t be controlled.”

“Be sure to tell Natasha that. I don’t foresee it being a problem, but I’d rather not find myself on her bad side.”

“She wasn’t very vocal in our discussion, but I think you’re safe. Hopefully.”

Steve arches a brow. “That’s good to know.”

“You’ll be fine.” Bruce smiles slightly. “Anyway, date night. You ready for it?”

“Yes.” He nods emphatically. “I never thought I’d feel like this about another man, but it’s how I feel. He’s got some fears, and I’m worried about a few things, but I’m definitely ready for it.”

“I’m not sure I can help with the wanting another man issue, but I think it’s pretty much the same as wanting a woman. There’s just different equipment down there. I mean, personalities are different regardless of gender, so I think it’s mostly sex where the differences become most obvious.”

“I don’t need a sex talk,” Steve says, interrupting just in case that’s where Bruce is going. He still finds it rather embarrassing to talk about something intimate openly without having to whisper or keep it private, but it’s not like he wasn’t friends with a bunch of guys who had stories that would even turn Tony’s ears red. He blushed about it back then, and that just hasn’t changed. He’s not sure it even will once he has some experience of his own.

“You sure?” Bruce looks at him. “I know it might be awkward, but I’m here to help.”

“I went to Duane Reade today and bought lubricant and condoms. My research on the internet said those were necessary tools when one becomes sexually active. I also spent a couple of hours researching what it means to be gay, following links around, and I learned a little more about the physical side as well as several essays about what it means to specific people.” He sees Bruce blink at him and has to smirk. “I might be a virgin, but I’m not a prude. I want to know what to expect and how to be prepared when it happens so Clint and I can have an enjoyable and rewarding sexual relationship.”

“Well, I’d just say don’t watch porn. That stuff is fake, and it won’t help. Real men don’t have that kind of recovery time, and most people don’t like getting semen on their face like they seem to love in those movies. Though some couples enjoy watching it together, for, uh, obvious reasons.” Bruce laughs softly. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect for you to be so matter-of-fact about it. I’m slightly flustered now.”

Steve’s pretty proud of himself, even if he’s not going to admit it. There’s still a lot he doesn’t know, but he’s got the knowledge now to at least move forward and learn the rest with Clint. He knows he’d rather do that than just read about it anyway. “It’s part of life, and I still believe it should be personal and intimate, but I know you mean well. I appreciate you caring enough to want me to be prepared. I just happen to have most of that covered already.”

“Good for you. Before you become sexually active, make sure you and Clint get tested. You might be a virgin, but you’ve been the subject of a lot of medical research, so you’ve used hypodermic needles before. I know the serum probably has your body chemistry all out of whack, so it’s unlikely a sexually transmitted disease would survive, but it never hurts to be safe. If you want, I can do the testing for you both, once you reach that point.” Bruce gives him a stern look. “Use condoms until you’re both clear, and you should always use them if there’s any doubt about monogamy.”

“I think you should film a safe sex advertisement,” Steve says, wondering if Clint would be offended if he suggested getting tested tonight.

“Or I can let the Other Guy do it.” Bruce’s lips quirk slightly. “Hulk says use condoms!” He snorts. “God, it’s nice to be able to joke about that. Don’t tell the others, but I can’t really remember how long it’s been since I’ve felt like I belong somewhere.”

“I don’t think you’re the only one who feels like that.” He glances at the clock and feels a twist of excitement in his gut. “Cologne or no cologne?”

“Cologne. You don’t wear it usually, so it’ll make Clint want to sniff you.” Bruce grins. “I’m glad my advice could be useful, not that you really needed it. Enjoy your date, play safe, and have him home by midnight.”

“I thought he and I were Mom and Dad, according to Tony.” Steve shakes his head and follows Bruce into the hall. Clint’s room is on the same floor, fortunately, so Bruce grabs the elevator while Steve continues past it to knock on Clint’s door.

“Just a minute.” The door swings open and Clint answers. “Oh. I was planning to come get you.”

“I couldn’t wait any longer.” Steve smiles before he leans in for a quick kiss. “You look very nice.”

“You, too.” Clint ducks his head and smiles as he rubs the back of his neck. “Um, just let me get my wallet. Pepper was here distracting me, so I’m running behind. Or not, since it’s early, but you’re here and. Right.”

Steve’s actually relieved to see that Clint’s nervous. He’s excited about this, but there are always nerves. Bucky used to say that he felt like he was going to puke before his very first date, but then it got better. Steve feels more like he’s got butterflies in his stomach, but he can understand where Bucky was coming from. “What did Pepper want?”

“Uh not a lot.” Clint’s actually blushing, which makes Steve grin. “She wanted to remind me to be a gentleman and that sort of thing.”

“Really? Bruce gave me a sex talk.”

“He did not!”

“Well, he tried, but I beat him to it.”

“You did?”

“I told him I did research on the internet with JARVIS helping me last night.”

“JARVIS helped you research sex?”

Steve nods. “I felt less ridiculous asking him. I told him it was for you, so he didn’t mind helping. He’s got a crush on you.”

“You’re crazy.” Clint laughs as he puts his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. Steve’s pretty surprised that it fits considering how indecently tight the jeans are. He’s trying not to stare, but it isn’t that easy not doing so.

“About you?” Steve decides not to mention the lubricant and condoms because he doesn’t want to seem pushy. Clint’s been talking about going slow, which, well, he’s not again but he’s also not planning to take forever if they’re ready and both want to move forward physically.

“So corny.” Clint’s smiling again, looking flushed and surprised and flattered. Steve knows he’s going to be doing whatever it takes to get that expression from him more often. “I got you something.” He grabs something off the table and hands it over.

“It’s a bouquet of chocolate Tootsie pops.” He looks from the candy back to Clint. “You remembered that?”

“Course I did. I remember everything you tell me.” Clint shrugs and smiles. “I thought you’d rather have those than flowers.”

“This is great.” Clint’s always been interested in hearing stories about his childhood and growing up back in the thirties and forties, but Steve can’t believe he actually remembered some offhand comment about not being able to afford to get more than a couple of Tootsie pops at a time. If he weren’t already falling, he would definitely be doing so now.

“Great.” Clint leans up to kiss his chin. “You smell good.”

“You do, too.” Steve leans down to kiss Clint’s lips. “Come on. Let’s shake a leg and go.”

“Fine. My leg’s shaking.” Clint laughs and takes his hand, shutting the door behind them. Steve stops off at his room to drop off the bouquet of candy before they catch the elevator. 

He isn’t sure where they’re going yet, since Clint seems to love surprising him, but they walk to the nearest station and have to make a couple of connections. He doesn’t mind since it’s crowded on the subway tonight, which means they have to stand real close together. Clint has him biting his lip to keep from laughing as he gives a running commentary on the fashion of the subway, and Steve has to elbow him a few times to get him to stop when it gets particularly funny.

When they finally reach their destination, Steve is surprised. It’s a good surprise, fortunately. “Bowling?”

“I thought it might be fun.” Clint smiles as he opens the door so Steve can enter first before following him inside. “I haven’t been in years, but I used to be pretty good.”

“I’ve seen you play darts, Clint. Don’t give me any of that pretty good nonsense. Besides, it’s a first date, so you wouldn’t bring me here if you didn’t know you were going to impress me.” Steve brushes a kiss against Clint’s forehead. “I used to be pretty good, too, for the record. Bowling’s one of the only areas where I could always beat Bucky, before the war.”

Clint punches his arm lightly as they walk to the bar to get something to drink. “I wasn’t trying to impress you, Captain Ego. But I feel a wager coming on.”

“What kind of wager?” Steve orders a beer, even if the alcohol won’t affect him. Clint gets one, too, and also orders them a basket of hot wings.

“Winner picks the next date?” Clint takes the bottle of beer from the guy behind the bar and shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t know. You got any ideas?”

Steve takes a drink and licks his lips. “Winner gets a blowjob?”

Clint spits out his beer and starts coughing. “What did you say?” he manages to ask in between gasps.

“Oral sex. Loser gives and winner receives? Or it’s winner’s choice, because I’m not sure which I’d rather do if I win.” Steve smiles his most innocent smile when Clint gapes at him.

“Slow, Rogers. Blowjob talk on the first date is _not_ slow. Damn, you nearly killed me with the choking and now I’ve wasted half my beer.” Clint takes his hand and leads him to the front desk, where they pay for a lane and get smelly shoes in their size.

“I still don’t understand this slow thing of yours.” Steve puts the shoes on and admires Clint’s fingers as he fastens his laces. “So, should I start making a list of things I want to do that we can start working on whenever you determine slow’s over? And I think I should get some say in the pace of the physical side of things.”

“You want to make a list?” Clint clears his throat and stands up. “You’re not playing fair. Besides, this, us, it’s not just about sex, and you should be glad that I respect you and us enough to not want to rush into that so fast. I’ve done the sex for sex’s sake thing and I thought we wanted something different.”

“I want it all, Clint. I just don’t want one thing to be put on hold because you think I’m not ready for it. We can go slow, okay? I get it. I do understand. But I want you to understand that I want everything.” Steve wonders if he’d be able to make more sense if he just tried to draw pictures.

“I do, too, babe. Let’s save blowjob talk for the second or third date, though.” Clint grins and nods towards their lane. “For now, let’s forget about a wager and just play. I want to see if I’ve still got the skills, and you can show me what you’ve got.”

Two hours, a basket of hot wings, a basket of cheese sticks, two sodas, and a bottle of beer each later, Steve’s ready to admit defeat. Clint’s hit a strike every single time he’s thrown the ball, and it doesn’t even look like he’s trying half the time. Meanwhile, Steve’s got good aim, too, but he’s managed to break sixteen pins from the force and speed of his rolls because he keeps forgetting himself and rolling the ball with all his strength. He’s pretty sure the manager’s going to ask them to leave if he plays another match.

“She’s giving us dirty looks again,” he whispers, sneaking a glance at the woman who’s had to send someone to pick up shattered pieces of bowling pin several times.

“So? Her product is obviously subpar and not made to withstand the force of a strong man rolling a ball.” Clint grins at him. “Besides, you’re having fun when you’re not breaking pins.”

“I _am_ having fun.” Steve smiles. “But I think I’d rather not get barred from ever coming back here. Maybe we can grab some dinner and see a late movie?”

“Do you want to see a movie or _see a movie_?”

“Uh. What’s the difference?”

“Well, for the first one, we actually choose something we want to see and pay attention to. For the second one, we choose whatever’s playing, sit in the back row and kiss a lot. I’ve never done it before, but it’s like a dating ritual, according to pop culture.”

“I choose kissing. If it matters, if there’s ever an option that includes kissing? That’s my choice. I really like kissing you.”

“It matters. And, yeah, kissing you is definitely moving high on my list of favorite things. I can’t remember ever kissing just to kiss, and it’s nice.”

Steve leans over to kiss Clint because, really, that says it all. He licks at Clint’s lips again, happily surprised when Clint licks back at him. Reaching over, he grips the back of Clint’s head and presses closer, moving his tongue and just losing himself in the moment. When they pull apart, he hears clapping and wolf whistles, which reminds him they’re in a rather crowded bowling alley with a rowdy group who cheers him on every time he breaks another pin.

“Well, I don’t remember hearing applause after a kiss before. You definitely don’t do things half-way, Steve Rogers.” Clint smiles and pulls back.

“I’m pretty much an all or nothing kind of guy, Clint.” Steve returns the smile and stands up, dragging Clint after him. “Let’s go to the movies. I’m looking forward to learning all about that dating ritual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope y'all enjoy. Also, thank you to everyone who left comments/kudos!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are enjoying this! Thanks for the comments/kudos that add extra motivation to keep writing!

It’s refreshing to be dealing with a bunch of normal, human assholes. True, they’re of the evil scum variety, but they aren’t robots, aliens, mad scientists with delusions of grandeur, or biologically enhanced mutant animals. Clint can handle something this easy any time. Megalomaniac with plans to traffic drugs and weapons in order to rule some small country? That’s cake compared to what they’re usually called in to deal with since becoming a team.

He’s in position on the top of a gas station, arrow aimed at their target. Nat is listening to the plans for the takeover he’s planning, playing the part of a bubblehead bimbo without even needing to pay attention. She needs more challenging roles if they force her to go undercover, and he finds it pretty annoying that the women in S.H.I.E.L.D. are often forced to use their tits to get an in with a mark. Sure, the handsome male operatives have to do that kind of thing, too, but it’s definitely not as casual as it seems to be with the attractive women.

The rest of the team are in position waiting for the cue from Steve. They need the location of the weapons the guy has stashed. The only reason S.H.I.E.L.D. is even really involved in this is because of a crate of guns that got stolen from a warehouse belonging to a local S.H.I.E.L.D. office, after all. It’s more in line with his past missions, which means he’s bored and ready for the fun to start. “Does anyone else feel like our operations mostly consist of dealing with copycats of Pinky and the Brain? Only they’re all Pinky.”

“What are we going to do tonight, Hawkeye?” Tony asks, pitching his voice in a decent imitation of Pinky.

“What we do every night, Iron Man. Try to take over the world!” Clint alters his voice slightly and adds a chuckle that he’s pretty pleased to note is a good impersonation of Brain.

“Radio silence,” Steve says. He sounds all serious and focused, the way he is at all missions.

Clint sticks his tongue out in Steve’s general direction, not that he can see or will know about it. It still makes him feel better. Even Phil would usually indulge him occasionally when they had an assignment this slow and dull. He keeps his attention on Nat, ready to strike if she’s in danger, but the mark is so full of himself that he doesn’t seem to realize he’s the one in danger. Nat’s already starting to look twitchy.

“Hawkeye, aim for the wheels of the car. When he gets in, we’ll move.” Steve’s heard enough, obviously. “Iron Man, you got that location?”

“On the way now, Captain. See you on the flip side.” Tony takes off, flying to the east, and Clint nocks his arrow, aiming for the wheel.

They watch as Nat follows the mark to the car. On her signal, Steve gives the order. “Now. Go.”

Clint lets the arrow go, reaching for another before the first has even hit the target. He has the three wheels that he can see punctured while Nat’s moved in to restrain the bad guy. She manages to do it without any problems, so Thor focuses on the bodyguards while she moves into taking out the driver.

“Good shooting, Hawkeye. Remain in your nest for now,” Steve says, moving out of the building where he’s been waiting and approaching the fight happening in the street.

“Sure thing, babe. Let me know if you need any of these goons to get an arrow in the head, though.” Clint keeps his gaze on the fight, ready to strike if anyone is at risk.

“Not right now, sweetheart. Think we’ve got it under control.” Steve flashes a grin up at him before hitting one of the bodyguards with his shield. Clint can’t help but smile because, really, how is this his life? Fighting bad guys, friends who kick ass, and a Steve who calls him sweetheart without hesitation. Oh, and saving the world isn’t too bad, either.

“I’m just going to chill here and keep the Other Guy out of this one,” Bruce says. “I’m here if you need him, but this cup of tea is pretty damn good.”

“I find it unfair that Hulk gets to have tea while I’m forced to endure being mauled by that bastard,” Nat points out, grunting as she kicks the driver in the stomach.

“Next time, Hulk gets to seduce the mark!” Clint laughs when she pauses in her fight long enough to flip him off.

Once they have the mark and his goons contained, Sitwell leads the agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. into the field. They take over, so Clint climbs down to join his team. Steve bumps their hips together before going over to report to Sitwell. Nat punches him in the arm and gives him a stern look.

“What?” He elbows her arm lightly but doesn’t look away from Steve. The costume is pretty ridiculous but it’s tight in all the best places, he decides.

“You’re drooling over our captain.” Nat snorts. “Phil would call you out for inappropriate behavior in the field, so I’m merely taking over that responsibility since Sitwell thinks you’d shoot him if he ever questioned your conduct.”

“Sitwell is a smart man.” Clint shrugs. “And I’m not drooling. I was merely appreciating the hard work that went into creating that costume.”

“He does have a nice ass.” Nat gives him a sly look. “Have you tapped it yet?”

“No, and don’t ever ask that again. There will be no talking of tapping asses, especially not Steve’s.” Clint gives her a look to let her know he’s not going to be sexing and telling with Steve.

“Serious then.” Nat nods. “I figured. Took you both long enough to get your heads out of your--“

“Stop with the ass talk.” Clint rolls his eyes. “But, yeah, it’s kind of serious. I think. I mean, it’s only been one date, but it’s good.”

“Just don’t get your heart broken,” she warns quietly. “I’d hate to have to kill Captain America.”

Before Clint can answer her, she goes off to talk to Thor. Clint gets his arrows out of the tires of the car and then grabs a cup of tea with Bruce before they report back to base. Steve’s standing next to him as they wait in the conference room for debriefing, but they don’t get a chance to talk because Fury comes in.

“Captain, we need to talk. Walk with me.” Fury ignores the rest of them as he points at Steve before turning to leave.

“Uh oh. Fury looks pissed.” Tony makes a face before sitting on the table. He’s still wearing his suit, so Clint’s pretty sure he’s going to make a mark. Which is probably why he’s sitting like that.

“That’s how he always looks,” Steve says, shrugging before he shoots a quick smile at Clint and follows Fury. Clint doesn’t even wait for the door to close before he’s on the table and pulling himself up into the air vents. Tony’s right. Fury looks even more irritable than usual, but the mission was a success, so he wants to know what’s going on.

He catches up to them easily enough and listens as Steve gives a rundown of the mission. Fury stops walking when they reach a turn in the hallway and faces Steve.

“I don’t care about the mission, Captain. I need to talk to you about Barton.” Fury just stares at Steve.

“What about him?” Steve looks curious but also more guarded than he’d just been. Clint clenches his fingers into his fist, frowning as he stares down at them.

“I don’t give a flying fuck what Clint and Steve do. You’re finally getting your rocks off? Good for you, buddy. I’ll help you pick out china patterns or walk him down the aisle if you make it legal.” Fury takes a step closer to Steve. “Captain America and Hawkeye, however, _are_ my business.”

“I really don’t see how any of it is your business. _Sir_.” Steve’s tone is defiant and he’s starting to get tense. Clint glares at Fury because it’s obvious he’s upsetting Steve.

“You’re professionals, even if your team acts like a bunch of toddlers with superpowers half the time. We can’t have flirting in the field. There’s a difference in letting off steam and having eye sex with an audience.” Fury holds up a hand before Steve can get a word out. “We also can’t have your enemies knowing that you’re having sex with one of your teammates. You’re a super soldier, Rogers, but Barton is human. What would they do to him in order to get to you?”

“I don’t know what eye sex is, but we aren’t having it. We’ve both behaved professionally, and I’m offended that you’d dare insinuate otherwise. And enemies could attack any of the team. That’s not a valid argument.”

“And it would suck, but they wouldn’t make it as personal as they would if they knew they had your lover. Think about it, Captain. If someone hated you enough to kidnap Barton, think about what they might do to him because they knew he mattered to you. Besides that, you know that it’s important to remain focused and objective in the battlefield. You have to detach yourself in order for the mission to be successful.”

Steve shakes his head. “We’re all humans, even if some of us are super versions. You can’t expect us to be a team and not care, in any way. I’d feel the same whether it was Natasha or Bruce or Clint taken and tortured to get to me. My personal feelings don’t make one of their lives worth more than another. If we’re detached and uncaring, we’re nothing but mindless machines fighting because we’re told to instead of doing it because we want to keep people safe.”

Fury groans. “Fine. You want another reason? Barton’s got a dick. You’ve been in this time long enough to know that not everyone’s puking rainbows and accepting of homosexuals. Sure, it’s improved from your time, when it often led to jail time or insane asylums, but there are still a lot of people, many of them powerful, who would love nothing more than for it to be that way again. It’s a polarizing issue that we don’t need overshadowing the good that your team is accomplishing.”

“I know there are people who butt into other people’s personal business, but I’m not going to live my life or base my happiness on their prejudice. I’ll make sure that our behavior is objective in the field, but I’d appreciate if you refrain from interfering with my personal life in the future. He makes me happy, and if there are small minded people out there who find that offensive, well, they can kindly fuck off. _Sir_.” Steve stands up straight, and Clint has to bite his lip to keep from echoing his sentiments. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to my team.” He leaves without giving Fury a chance to reply, and it’s obvious from his tone and expression that he’s pissed off.

Before Clint can crawl back to the conference room, Fury’s voice stops him. “Barton, you know I’m right. He’s naive if he believes he can remain impartial if you’re in a relationship.”

Clint pulls the tile to the side and jumps down, landing on his feet not too far from Fury. Straightening up, he runs a hand through his hair to get the dust out. “You need to have the vents cleaned,” he says. “As for Cap, he’s not naïve. He just doesn’t see how it’s anyone’s business who he’s dating. I happen to agree with him.”

“You know the risks. I had to make sure that he’s aware of them, too.” Fury frowns and rubs the bridge of his nose. “You have enemies, too, Barton. Just remember that.”

“And if they ever try to do anything to Steve, I’ll make sure they don’t live long enough to do it.”

“I’ve seen it happen before. It’s not a pretty picture.”

“I know it’s not. We’ll do what we can to make sure it doesn’t happen to us, Sir.”

Fury sighs and closes his eye. “It’s days like this that I particularly miss Coulson. You might listen to him.”

“I’d have told him the same thing.” Clint shrugs. It still hurts a little to talk about Phil, but it gets easier as time passes. “But he also would have handled this much better than you just did.”

“That did go to shit rather quickly, didn’t it?” Fury opens his eye. “Just be careful, son. If anything happens to you, Captain America or Natasha that I could have prevented, I think Phil would probably come back from the grave to haunt me.”

“We’ll be careful, Sir,” Clint says seriously. He knows Fury’s trying to look out for them, which he can respect even if he’s annoyed that it’s upset Steve.

“Go debrief. Cap is probably looking for you, and Sitwell hasn’t learned how to handle Stark yet.” Fury starts to walk away before he stops and looks back at Clint. He slowly smiles in a way that makes Clint immediately wary. “And I meant what I said, Clint. If you ever make it legal?” He starts to hum the bridal march as he walks down the hall.

“Okay. That’s just wrong on so many levels,” Clint mutters, shuddering slightly. He rubs his hand over his face as he turns and heads back to the conference room. He’ll stop off on the way to grab a bag of M&Ms for Steve because the candy might give him a nice distraction from the bad mood Fury put him into.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

The team knows that something happened with Fury, but Steve hasn’t been in the mood to tell them about it. He’s still angry, which means he can’t be fair in answering any questions they might have. Somehow, Clint seems to know, so he’s providing distractions and protecting Steve from the team’s interrogation. He’s grateful for the intervention, yet he’s also uncertain why Clint isn’t just as angry about Fury’s interfering as he is. If he didn’t know how good they are together and trust that Clint’s feeling the same way still, he might be worried that the thrill was in the chase and not the everyday dating part.

He _does_ know, though, so that’s not a concern. Clint isn’t angry, that much Steve can recognize, but he also doesn’t seem that happy, either. Maybe it’s an age thing. He doesn’t think about age much, since there are times when he feels like he’s older than all the others and times when he feels like he’s not, but he knows that people gain a maturity with life experiences that helps them deal with controlling bosses trying to dictate their private lives. Well, most people do, even if Tony’s retained enough immaturity to seem decades younger than he really is.

The package of M&Ms that Clint bought him is empty before they head home. When Nat hands him a package of Skittles, he accepts them with a nod and wonders if it’s really that obvious that candy tends to help calm him down. He’d like to blame it on the serum, but he’s always craved sugary treats whenever he gets stressed or upset. The Skittles are pretty good, even if he doesn’t like the grape very much and shares those with Thor. By the time they get back to the tower, he’s not nearly as furious as he has been.

Instead, he’s thinking about everything Fury said and hates to admit, even to himself, that one of the reasons he was so angry is because Fury had some valid points. It isn’t anything Steve wanted to hear or have to think about, but Fury wasn’t just being a jerk. The team’s quiet and tense as they enter the elevator, and he feels guilty because he knows they’re reacting to his mood. They should be celebrating their victory instead of giving him those thoughtful and curious looks.

When they arrive at the floor with the kitchen and seating areas, he follows the group and tries to shake off his attitude. It’s just, Fury was so matter-of-fact, like it isn’t something to be concerned about so much as a definite outcome, and Steve resents being told to hide something that means so much to him. It’s taken a lot of bravery to admit that he wants Clint and to pursue a relationship, after all, and he doesn’t think it’s entirely selfish to want to be happy and not hide what, and who, makes him feel that way. But Fury’s right about the risk and the danger being open about their relationship could cause. He looks over at Clint when he can’t get the image of him being tortured by some unknown enemy out of his head. Clint’s a weakness, which is what an enemy always goes for, and Steve couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to him because of his enemies. He’s not sure what Clint sees on his face, but it’s something that makes him cross the room and wrap his arms around Steve.

“It’s going to be fine,” Clint says, and his tone is firm enough that Steve believes his words despite knowing it’s not something either of them can promise.

“He said they’d go after you,” Steve whispers, leaning his head down to burrow against Clint’s neck.

“They might try, but that doesn’t mean they’d get me.” Clint tightens his arms, and Steve can feel the power and strength wrapped around him. It’s a reminder that Clint might be a human without superpowers, but he’s not some meek fragile man that’d be taken without a fight. “And if they did, well, I know that you and Nat and the others would save me. You’re my hero, after all.”

“Your hero?” Steve huffs out a laugh against Clint’s neck, trying not to squeeze him too hard as he tries to get Fury’s words out of his head. “We wouldn’t rest until you were safe and back in my arms,” he promises softly, knowing it’s a promise he plans to keep. He hopes it’s one that’s never tested, though.

“Ditto.” Clint’s fingers are rubbing his scalp, and Steve has to resist the urge to purr because it feels real good. “I’ve had a lot more years to gain enemies, you know? If anything, we need to worry about you more than me.”

“Is this a ClintandSteve hug or can anyone get in on this action?” Tony asks, reaching out to poke Steve’s arm.

“Don’t let Pepper hear you asking that,” Natasha warns, her voice coming from behind Clint.

Tony snickers. “Your mind is dirty, Red. I like it. Besides, Pepper’d just ask to watch. I mean, have you seen them? They’re hot. If this ever hits the net, Tumblr might break.”

“We _are_ standing right here,” Steve says, reluctantly lifting his head and glaring at Tony, who looks totally unapologetic.

“Captain, friend Tony is correct. The aesthetic that you and brother Clint provide would surely be celebrated by all of those who think so highly of us.” Thor grins. “You should not be humble when it is a truth that all with vision can see.”

“In other words, you’re hot.” Tony reaches out his fist to Thor and they do a fistbump. Steve thinks he’d probably be getting a headache if he ever got those anymore.

“I think that everyone needs a cup of tea, and then perhaps we can discuss whether or not we need to plot revenge against Fury.” Bruce is always a voice of reason, which Steve is grateful for right now.

“Are you sure you’re not really British, Bruce?” Clint loosens his hold on Steve and steps back. “You seem to think tea solves everything.” He winks at Steve before grabbing his hand.

“Nope, but my great-grandmother was, so I think it must skip generations. No tea for Tony, though, because we can’t reward Steve-provoking behavior.”

“What? I was being supportive! That makes me the best friend ever. I even offered to be the meat in their sandwich while my girlfriend watches, so that shows the depths of my loyalty.”

“Pepper would cut your balls off and serve them to over rice if you ever even tried,” Natasha says, sounding almost excited at the idea of Pepper catching Tony.

“Ha! That shows how little you know. She’s already told me they’re her Free Pass, so I get to have them, too.” Tony does a triumphant little dance that involves shaking his butt and dodging Natasha’s swats. “Of course, my Free Pass changes frequently depending on my mood, so it’s a moot point for us, but still. She won’t threaten to castrate me for merely telling the truth.”

“Lady Jane and I would be honored to participate in such group couplings with you and your beloved, brother Clint,” Thor offers. “Should you ever feel the need to explore such rituals, you are welcome to include us.”

“Uh, thanks, Thor. But that’s a, um, ritual that Steve and I will leave for others.” Clint smiles wryly. “He’s more than enough for me and all I want, though we appreciate the offer. Offers,” he says, correcting himself when Tony starts to protest.

“There are times when I really wish I had a video camera. I could tell people about life in the tower, and they’d never believe me,” Bruce says, talking to Natasha as he prepares their tea. “For the record, I support you both and have no desire to be in a sandwich unless the bread is of the female variety.”

“You’re just no fun, Bruce.” Tony walks over and falls back into one of the leather chairs that Steve thinks are too hard to be comfortable.

“I think he’s fun,” Natasha says, leaning forward to steal a lemon before pulling a long knife out of a sheath attached to her thigh. Tony gulps and starts drumming his fingers against his thigh, but wisely doesn’t answer as she begins to cut the lemon into wedges.

“You okay?” Clint asks, sitting next to Steve on the sofa. Thor’s in the kitchen preparing them a ‘snack’, which probably means a ton of food that’ll ruin dinner. Tony’s keeping his mouth shut, mostly because Natasha and a knife make any of them on their best behavior, and Bruce is finishing their tea. Steve feels like this is home, and that says a lot about the last year. Well, a year minus several months but closer than not.

“Not yet but getting there.” Steve sees no point in lying since Clint probably knows him well enough now to tell the difference. “What about you?”

Clint smiles slightly. “Not yet but getting there. There’s been too much disturbing imagery today, though. First was Fury humming the wedding march at me and now there’s talk about orgies as proof of friendship.”

“If I thought for a second that Tony was serious, I’d have punched him for thinking about you like that,” he admits with a sheepish smile. “I don’t mind looking, but they’d better not try to touch.”

“You’re the only who can touch.” Clint shakes his head when Steve perks up at that. “Going slow, babe. I swear, you’ll be the death of me yet.”

“What a way to go, right? Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll always have Manhattan.” Steve reaches over to stroke Clint’s jaw, dragging his thumb across warm skin.

“I know it’s one of your favorites, but I don’t think it’s that romantic to compare us to an ill-fated romance in a war film.” Clint leans in to the touch even as his lips curve into a pout that he’d probably deny if Steve pointed it out. “I think we’re much more Nick and Nora than Rick and Ilsa anyway. Minus all the booze. Maybe Tony can make us a bot of our own that we can name Asta.”

Steve can’t help but laugh, leaning forward until their foreheads are pressed together. “You make me so happy,” he murmurs, needing Clint to know that because it matters more than any of the worries that Fury brought to his attention earlier.

The sound of a throat clearing reminds Steve that they’re not alone. When he turns his head, he sees that everyone’s seated and watching them as if they’re a television program. Natasha smirks as she nods to the tray on the table in front of them. “Your tea is going to get cold.”

“I’m starting to think it might have been better when I thought you were both just sneaking around,” Tony says, making a face. “Just our luck that you’re going to be one of _those_ couples, all sappy and sweet and perfect that’ll make the rest of us in relationships look bad because we’re not that syrupy and romantic.”

“You know you like it,” Bruce says, patting Tony on the shoulder. “Think of them as a good example. I’m sure Pepper will appreciate any effort.”

“I hope that my Lady Jane returns from her conference soon. I miss her.” Thor sighs before grabbing a handful of potato chips. “Now you must tell us what transpired with Director Fury, Captain.”

Steve leans back and takes a sip of his tea. When he feels Clint’s arm across the top of the sofa behind him, he tries to organize his thoughts. “Fury knows that Clint and I are together. He basically said he doesn’t care what we do, but that Captain America and Hawkeye can’t be together.”

“Why?” Bruce leans forward to grab a Twinkie from Thor’s stack of snack food. When Steve arches a brow at his choice, he shrugs. “What? The Other Guy gave me a craving.”

“Fury says that it’s dangerous if any of our enemies know we’re more than just teammates,” Clint says, moving his hand to Steve’s shoulder and squeezing lightly. “He’s also concerned about our professionalism in the field and the fact that some people wouldn’t be happy to find out Captain America’s gay.”

“He speaks as if we’re professional in the first place?” Natasha makes an amused sound even as she frowns. “His reasons are valid, however.”

“No, they aren’t.” Tony shakes his head. “Who cares if they’re sleeping with men, women or intelligent alien life forms? That doesn’t mean they can’t do the job and save the world.”

“People in this world place so much value on things that cannot be controlled,” Thor says. “I see such hate and aversion amongst your people that it occasionally makes it seem as if there is nothing worth saving. I am fortunate to look at a broader view, however, and I see many people who are open and tolerant to all. I participate in this grand adventure to save all of the people because it is my hope that one day those with hate will find themselves filled with love and acceptance.”

“It’s a good hope to have, Thor, but I’m not sure we’ll live long enough to ever see that day,” Bruce admits. “But you’re right in that we save everyone because not doing so would make us no better than those people who hate and judge.”

Thor frowns. “But of course you will live to see that day eventually. I have already spoken with Father.” He nods as if the matter is settled before focusing on Steve and Clint. “What will you choose to do? You have my loyalty whatever your choice.”

Steve decides it’s better not to argue with Thor about the fact that they weren’t likely to live to see peace and acceptance in this world. It would just make him sad, and a sad Thor’s not something any of them like dealing with. Besides, it would also make him think about his own questions regarding the serum and mortality and Clint being human and he’d rather not to think about that for several more years yet. Years. He’s thinking about him and Clint being together for years, he realizes, which makes him smile.

“We’ve got your back,” Tony says. “Family first and all that. If you want to go public, I can have Pepper arrange for interviews or if you want to keep it private, I’ll make sure it stays that way.”

“Thanks,” Clint says, and Steve can feel his gaze on him, so he turns his head. They hold a conversation with their eyes and a few lifts and twitches of eyebrows, and he knows exactly what Clint’s saying without either of them having to say a word. How did they _not_ know how they felt for so long? They’re both unobservant fools, obviously.

“As frustrating as it is, Fury has valid concerns.” Steve looks at their team, at their family, and shrugs a shoulder. “For now, it’ll probably be easier on everyone if we separate this from the field. I know we’ll remain professional regardless, but neither of us wants to put the other in unnecessary danger, so there won’t be any going public at this time. We need to talk about it all more, honestly, and we’ll just see how things go.”

“What he said.” Clint ruffles Steve’s hair and grins. “Now, enough of all this talking shit. We just had a successful mission, which means snacks and bad reality T.V. drinking games.”

“The point of drinking games is to actually drink alcohol, you realize? This whole non-alcoholic drinking game thing isn’t nearly as fun,” Tony mutters even as he gets up to get the shot glasses while Natasha goes to get the pitcher of cherry Kool-aid they keep on reserve for drinking games.

“Clint and I beg to differ that getting drunk is fun,” Bruce says firmly. Steve reaches over to squeeze Clint’s thigh, since he always get a little weird if his father is mentioned even in vague reference. “Besides, alcohol doesn’t work on Steve, and Natasha and Thor could drink you under the table.”

“Right.” Tony stops behind Bruce and squeezes his shoulder before doing the same to Clint. The revelation that two of their team had grown up with abusive alcoholic fathers had led to a lot less alcohol in the place and a curb in Tony’s own drinking after they were all living together. Steve's dad had also been a drinker, but he'd died when Steve was too young to really be that affected by it all. Clint and Bruce hadn't been so fortunate, in that respect.

“Oh. There’s an America’s Next Top Model marathon on. Again.” Natasha sits on the other side of Clint and curls up against his side. Tony and Thor both cheer while Bruce groans but fills a shot glass with Kool-aid anyway.

“See, it’s good we don’t have booze because we’d all be drunk in no time,” Clint says, pulling Steve closer and brushing a kiss against his cheek. “Tomorrow night, just you and me, okay?”

“Our second date,” Steve murmurs, smiling as he starts thinking about where they could go. “My turn to surprise you, sweetheart.”

“I’m looking forward to it, babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who left kudos/comments! They help inspire me :) Hope y'all are enjoying it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

Clint hasn’t really spent much time in Brooklyn. Prior to becoming part of the Avengers, most of his time was spent traveling or on assignment for S.H.I.E.L.D., and when he wasn’t on the move, he stayed at base. Manhattan has been home in recent months, but he knows there haven’t been that many trips to the other boroughs. The few times he has been out of Manhattan were to areas of Brooklyn that Steve wanted to revisit, so he shouldn’t be too surprised that’s where Steve’s taking him for their second date.

There’s no point in asking where they’re going for their date since he knows Steve would just gloat and remind him about keeping surprises. Besides, the destination isn’t that important. Spending time with Steve is. Wherever they’re going, it’s got to be something that closes early because they left the tower a little after eleven. Steve looks good in a pair of blue jeans that fit him very well. It’s really a shame that the train isn’t crowded since he wouldn’t mind taking advantage of the opportunity to stare at Steve’s ass in those jeans. He doesn’t mind sitting, though, because they’re able to talk during the long ride into Brooklyn.

Looking at the map on the train wall, he wonders if they might be going to Coney Island. He’s never been there, but he’s heard about it. It also seems like something Steve might enjoy, even if Clint’s pretty sure it’s rather seedy and changed since the forties. When he hears Steve say it’s time for their stop, he’s proven wrong. He might have to check out what the internet says about Coney Island, though, because it could make for an interesting date if it’s still fun. He likes doing things that might remind Steve of his past since so much of their lives are totally in the here and now.

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?” Clint moves through the crowd as they exit the train, leading the way as usual, but he’s not sure if they need to catch another train or if this is their stop. After a quick look around, he knows it’s their stop because there aren’t any other lines that run through this station.

“It’s a surprise.” Steve smiles and ducks his head down to brush his lips against Clint’s ear. “Not so good to hear when you’re excited and curious, is it?”

“Just remember, I’ll get you back, and you’re more impatient than I am.”

“I can be very patient, Clint. You’ll learn that about me, if you don’t already know.”

“If this some reference to the rate of our physical relationship, I do know. If it’s about a mission, I know that, too. If it’s about anything else? I might have to disagree. You always ask me at least a half dozen times for answers whenever I tell you I’m planning a surprise.”

Steve pinches his ass, which causes Clint to make a startled yelp. “Be nice. I’m very patient, and you know it.”

“Fine. You’re somewhat patient. I wouldn’t choose to use the descriptive of ‘very’, though. It’s misleading and inaccurate.”

Steve sighs and kisses the side of Clint’s neck before tugging on his arm. “We’ll just have to call it a truce there. However, I reserve the right to return to this discussion at an appropriate time in the future in which I’ll demonstrate my patience in a way that suits your definition of very.”

“You know, you’re even sexier when you’re smart,” Clint says, reaching out to do a bit of pinching of his own before darting ahead to reach topside before Steve can get him back for the pinch. It was more of a grab, really, since he’s wanted to squeeze that ass for months. When he steps out into the afternoon sun, he blinks and looks around curiously. An arm moves around his waist, and he smiles. “If you’re not a gorgeous hunk of blond soldier, I’m afraid I have to decline your offer. I’m already taken.”

“You bet your ass you are,” Steve mutters. “And it’s nice to know that you think smart’s sexy. What about artistic and creative? I think I fall a little more in that category than genius, especially living with people as brilliant as Tony and Bruce.”

“Don’t self yourself short, babe. But, yes, I think creativity and talent is sexy, too. Hell, I think we both know that I just find _you_ sexy.”

“I happen to like the way you get intense and focused when you’re concentrating, whether it’s on one of your mystery novels or a target. And your hands.” Steve makes a noise that has Clint glancing at him. “I can’t wait to feel them on me,” he says, cheeks flushing faintly.

“So, my hands, huh?”

“Great. Now you’re going to torture me by touching me and drawing attention to them, aren’t you?”

“It’ll be a sweet torture, at least.”

“You stare at my hands, too. A lot. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“It’s no fun if you can torture me in return, Steve. It’s not my fault your fingers are long and your hands are so strong.”

“They didn’t change that much, after the serum. Just got bigger, to go with the bigger body, but I still remembered how to sketch and they felt familiar when I held a pencil the first time. Everything else wasn’t familiar. You know, there are still times when I do a double-take by a mirror because I forget I’ve changed?”

“There are some mornings when I stare in the mirror making sure that my eyes are my own,” Clint admits, stepping to the side to avoid a group of tourists. “Even after the therapy, I have nightmares about being controlled and killing you, killing Nat, torturing the others.” He glances at Steve and just sees understanding, not pity or fear. A tension he didn’t realize had entered him relaxes. “I’ve done a lot of bad shit, Steve. Before S.H.I.E.L.D., for S.H.I.E.L.D., doesn’t really matter in the end, does it? I think we all have stuff that’s happened that hits us at certain moments or that we don’t even think about because we’re used to it until bam, we get a reminder.”

“That makes sense.” Steve leads him around a corner, and Clint sees Prospect Park up ahead. “I don’t even know the full scope of the serum, you know? I have no idea just what all it does to me outside of the physical and health related issues. I get angry and happy and feel emotions, obviously, but I wonder sometimes if it has more control over me than I know about. Perfect soldier and all that. I know it doesn’t control everything, of course, but some nights I wake up from nightmares where it does.”

“When we start sleeping together, we’re going to have to talk about our post-nightmare routines. It’ll help make it easier on both of us if we know ahead of time what we need to get through that.” Clint reaches out and casually takes Steve’s hand. They’re getting into serious conversation territory for walking down the sidewalk in Brooklyn, which means it’s time for a subject change. “So, we’re going to the park?”

“We’ll do that. I like hearing _when_ , by the way.” Steve squeezes his hand and smiles. “The zoo, actually, and a picnic in the park after is what I have planned.” He nods at his backpack. “I brought food and my sketchbook. I, uh, was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I sketched you.”

“You never have to ask that. Any time you want to sketch me, you’re welcome to do so.” He doesn’t mention that he doesn’t think he looks as good as the guy Steve sketches, all beautiful and powerful. “A picnic sounds good. The zoo is definitely a surprise. I can’t remember when I last went to one. God, before the orphanage, I figure. Thirty-something years, that’s for sure.”

“Bucky and I went to the zoo before, but it’s been a while since I’ve been. I thought it might be an appropriate second date.”

“It’ll be fun. As long as the animals are taken care of and not being neglected and caged up simply for our entertainment. If they are, we might be asking Tony to buy us a zoo.”

“He probably would if you asked him. He’d rename it to something ridiculous like Stark’s Animal Emporium, probably, but he’d buy it.”

“Eh, I don’t know. Pepper might put a stiletto down to prevent that. Hopefully, it won’t be an issue. I just can’t stand seeing animals mistreated. At the circus, some of the acts just didn’t care for their animals at all, and it always upset me. Barney said I was too soft and shouldn’t care, but he turned out to be a betraying bastard, so we know his opinion isn’t valid.”

Steve bumps their hips together. “If you get any gut feelings that this place isn’t properly handling their animals, we’ll leave and get the team involved to investigate.”

“Yeah?” Clint smiles as he ducks his head. “It’ll be fine, I figure. Too many people visiting for them to get away with that shit.”

Steve leans over and kisses his cheek. “Yeah,” he says firmly before leading them to the ticket window. He seems surprised at how much it costs for the tickets but passes the cash over to cover the two tickets.

“I’m guessing the zoo wasn’t as expensive back in the forties?” Clint takes his ticket and tucks it into the pocket of his jeans. He’d totally deny, even under threat of torture from Nat, that he’s going to keep it in an old shoebox along with various other tickets and receipts he’s been unknowingly collecting since he and Steve started hanging out.

“It was more like the thirties, and, no, not that much. I don’t see how a family with children could afford to spend a day here without spending quite a bit of money.” Steve frowns. “It’s not really fair, is it? It’s like the museums that charge so much for admission. We take them for granted because we have the money to spare now, but so many people don’t. I remember what that’s like, to scrape for every cent, and I try to remain in touch with those memories but it gets hard when I have money now.”

“Maybe what we can suggest to Tony is paying for a day at the zoo for locals,” Clint says, wanting to remove that frown from Steve’s lips. “He could use it as PR for the company, and the team can attend, out of uniform, so we can all be kids again for a day.”

“That’s a good idea.” Steve grins, the one that makes his eyes twinkle and his cheeks almost dimple. “You can talk about the bad things you’ve done all you want, Clint Barton, but I’m on to you. You’re a good guy.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Clint leans up and steals a quick kiss. “C’mon. I want to see animals.”

They start walking through the zoo, and Clint talks about some of the animals he knew from the circus. He also mentions random facts he knows because Steve isn’t that familiar with animals. There are a few times when one or the other of them has to steal a kiss, but they keep it chaste because they’re in a public zoo with kids around and some of the parents don’t seem to approve of two men holding hands.

“I don’t believe you,” Steve mutters when they leave the reptile area.

“Trust me. A turtle can breathe out of its butt.” Clint grins as Steve rolls his eyes. “I bet you.”

Steve arches a brow and purses his lips. “What are we betting?”

“An hour of, uh, what did you call it back in the day? Necking?” Clint waggles his eyebrows. “Remain dressed, hands above the clothes, kissing and touching.”

“I don’t see how that would make either of us the loser.” Steve clears his throat and licks his lips. “In bed. I want to push you down onto my bed and neck with you for an hour. I’ll follow your rules, but I want it to be in bed.”

“Okay.” Clint cringes when he hears how husky his voice sounds. “Winner’s bed. How’s that?”

“Good. We still have a picnic, though.”

“And the rest of the zoo. I want to go back to see the red panda again, too. I feel a kinship with the things. We both like perching in trees and climbing things.”

“There’s a no animal rule at the tower, so don’t even think about asking for one.”

“We’ll just have to come back to visit the ones here.”

“Maybe we can, uh, have the picnic on the floor? Would that ruin the date?”

“What was that bragging earlier about being so patient?”

“You had to take it there, didn’t you? Fine. We’ll have our picnic and see whose resolve breaks first, sweetheart.”

“You’re so sexy when you’re stubborn and turned on.” Clint looks around before leaning up for a kiss. It’s still a little strange to be dating a guy so much taller than himself, but he’s adjusting pretty well. It’s just a little more tilt and standing on his tiptoes sometimes.

Steve returns the kiss before pulling back. “No more kissing. Not until we’re back at the tower and necking properly.”

The next three hours are some of the longest of Clint’s life. They finish their visit to the zoo, only Steve uses every opportunity to touch him or stand too close or breathe on his neck. The picnic is even worse. There’s food and Steve licking his fingers and making noises that wouldn’t be out of place in a porn film. The slice of chocolate caramel cake _is_ delicious, but Clint isn’t going to orgasm over it. Steve, however, moans like he’s about to come. Still, Clint’s too stubborn to break. He just starts returning the favor, licking at the icing and making noises of his own.

In the end, he’s not sure which of them breaks. All he knows is that they’re finally on the subway headed back to Manhattan, sitting across from each other because he’s not sure they’ll be able to control themselves if they were sitting together. The tension is electric, and he can’t really remember ever being this aroused before. His dick’s twitching happily, like it knows he’s getting lucky, and he’s too focused on not humping Steve like an oversexed dog to tell his body to calm down because it’s not getting lucky in the way it thinks.

The elevator at the tower takes forever, and they don’t even say a word to each other as they tap their feet and Steve punches the button for their floor again as if that will speed it up. Clint bites his lip but can’t help the laugh that escapes when Steve pushes the button for the fourth time.

“Don’t say a word,” Steve warns, giving him a pouty look. “This has nothing to do with patience.”

“Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that, babe.” Clint leans against the elevator wall and laughs outright. “We’re both acting like teenagers, I swear.”

“I never acted like this when I was a teenager.” Steve laughs as he drags his fingers through his hair. “I had _no_ idea what I was missing.”

They’re still laughing when the elevator reaches their floor. The laughter fades as they walk to Clint’s suite. It’s the closest to the elevator, but he also knows he’ll win their bet, so it’s all good. He unlocks the door and is barely inside before Steve is pushing him against the wall and kicking the door shut. “JARVIS, please lock the door,” Clint manages to get out.

“JARVIS, stop monitoring this room, please.” Steve reaches back to lock the door himself before he kisses Clint. There’s nothing chaste about it as he practically devours him, licking and sucking and biting at his lips. “I’ve wanted to do this for hours.”

“Bed. That way.” Clint motions vaguely in the direction of his bedroom. He definitely does not let out a squeak when Steve suddenly picks him up, causing Clint to wrap his legs around his waist, and carries him to the bedroom like he doesn’t weigh anything at all. He also doesn’t whimper because, fuck, that’s hot.

Okay, he might, but he distracts Steve with a kiss to make sure he can’t tease him about it.

“Door.” Steve squeezes Clint’s ass as they bump into the door. Clint reaches behind him and fumbles around until he finally gets the knob turned. Steve crosses the room and they fall to the bed, Clint ending up on top as Steve breaks their fall. “Taste so good, sweetheart.”

Clint shifts and rolls them onto their sides. Necking is more of a side thing, he tells himself, because there’s no way that he can be on top of Steve without rutting against him. He’s hard, and there’s no doubt that Steve is too because he can feel the rather large bulge pressed against him as they move closer. When he feels warm fingers brush against the small of his back, he whines and deepens the kiss.

Steve slides his hand further up Clint’s back, and the feel of warmth against his bare skin is amazing. He wants to touch, too. He tugs on Steve’s shirt, stroking his side as he pulls back from the kiss and nibbles on his lips before sucking on the bottom lip. “We shouldn’t,” he murmurs, trying to remember his own necking rules. “God, you feel so damn good, Steve.”

“We _should_ ,” Steve says, panting as he looks at Clint. His face is flushed, his hair is damp with sweat around his forehead, his pupils are dilated and his eyes are so blue. “I’ve never…I need…I want….Clint. Please.”

“Shh, babe. It’s okay. I got you.” Clint kisses his face as he reaches down between them. He murmurs soft words, telling Steve how good he tastes and smells and feels as he begins to knead his bulge. Steve makes a noise as his hips buck forward, pressing more firmly against Clint’s hand. “That’s it. Let go. Let me take care of you.”

The noises Steve makes are unexpected but arousing. He’s vocal, which Clint finds a huge turn on. He begins to move his hips slowly, rubbing against Steve’s leg while he continues to squeeze and knead his erection. They kiss again, sloppy and wet and perfect. Clint moves his hand and shifts so that they can rub against each other. The friction makes them both gasp into the kiss, then everything just blurs together. 

It feels so good. Clint holds on to Steve, enjoys the feeling of strong arms holding him close, and they both just let go. When Steve pulls back and stares at him, touching his face and his lips, Clint feels a connection he can’t remember ever feeling before. This isn’t just about orgasms. It’s about them, and he finally gets it. Gets the difference. And it’s beautiful. 

He kisses Steve’s face and holds him as he suddenly shudders, making a soft noise as he comes. Clint rocks his hips, getting the friction he needs and coming soon after Steve. When he finally comes down from the high, Steve’s watching him and looks dazed yet blissful. “So that’s what the fuss is all about,” he says, voice sound wrecked and gravelly in a way that makes Clint’s dick twitch despite the fact he just came.

“Yeah.” Clint brushes Steve’s hair back from his forehead. “You’re lethal. I just broke my own necking rules.”

“They were silly rules.” Steve kisses him, soft and sweet. He smiles when he pulls back. “My underwear is sticking to me and my jeans are a wet sticky mess. Yet all I want to do right now is to get my sketchbook out of my bag so I can capture how you look at this exact moment. You look…you make my fingers twitch, you know?”

“I don’t really know, but I get it anyway.” Clint smiles. “Fine. Get your sketch done then we’ll clean up.”

“Really?” Steve traces Clint’s bottom lip with his thumb. “It’s not too weird?”

“We share a home with an alien God, a trained assassin, a man who flies around in a robot suit, and a hulk. This? Doesn’t even register on the weird scale anymore. So get your sketchbook before I end up taking a nap.”

“Clint, I think I might really be falling--“

“No words.” Clint presses his fingers across Steve’s mouth. “You never get emotional after orgasms. It’s euphoria talking most of the time.”

Steve pouts before licking at Clint’s fingers. “I’m going to sketch you, then we’re going to do more necking. Maybe we’ll take a nap at some point, too.”

Clint laughs and snuggles against his pillow as he watches Steve roll off the bed and go to get his sketchbook out of the backpack he left in the other room. Maybe they broke some of his rules, but he can’t really complain. Besides, he’s never been that good at following rules, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much to everyone who has left comments/kudos! I hope y'all enjoyed this part!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the all the kudos/comments. I am still loving this ship and happy that y'all are enjoying the story.

It’s too hot. Steve becomes aware of that before he’s fully awake. The sheet is sticking to his legs, and he can’t kick it away because of the damp material clinging to his skin. The second thing he realizes as he starts to wake up is that there’s an unusual source of heat pressed against his back. That’s where all the warmth is coming from. Steve’s eyes flash open as he sucks in a breath of air.

This isn’t his room.

Memories quickly flash through his mind, and his ‘fight or flight’ response calms down. Clint. It is Clint pressed up behind him feeling like a living furnace. He remembers yesterday. The zoo and the picnic and the necking that was beyond anything he’d expected it to be. It’s one thing to think about what it might feel like to touch someone or be touched, but it’s definitely something else entirely to experience it and just get so caught up in the need-want-have now that he lost control.

Steve doesn’t really understand how people can do that with strangers. Sure, there’s release because it’s physical and actions have reactions where the body’s concerned, but he felt vulnerable yesterday. He was giving himself to Clint, trusting Clint to be there to catch him, in a way, and he knows there’s no way he’d ever want to lose control like that with someone he doesn’t even know. Maybe it’s about different things to different people, he decides, shifting slightly as he tries to push the damp cotton sheet down his legs.

They hadn’t really intended to share a bed last night. After the first time, when they got carried away and broke some of those ridiculous rules Clint came up with, they’d just relaxed while Steve sketched and Clint told him random stories about various things. There had been a second necking encounter after Steve had to stop sketching and had to start touching. Separate showers and a change of clothes had followed before they’d grabbed some food from the kitchen and eaten it curled up on Clint’s sofa while watching some old Cary Grant movies. They usually watch movies in one of the three entertainment slash living areas that Tony created for the team, but they’d been selfish last night and had wanted time alone. The third necking encounter had led to another separate shower and changing into their sleeping clothes before lying down together on Clint’s bed.

Steve’s intentions had been to pet Clint and maybe sneak some more kisses before finally returning to his own bed. Best intentions and all that, it seems, because he feels like he’s been asleep for hours, and Clint’s made him the little spoon at some point during the night. He can feel the grin on his lips and knows it probably looks goofy and crooked if he could see himself in a mirror, but he can’t help it. They kept their clothes on and never actually touched bare skin below the belt, but, still, that’s sex. He’s actually had sex now. There were _three_ orgasms not caused by his own hand.

Not surprisingly, he doesn’t feel all that different. It’s not like he’s expected having sex to make him change in any particular way, but it’s always been this mystifying and unknown thing that other people talked about doing but he could only think about in theory. Bucky had told him that it was fun, but messy and awkward sometimes. Steve knew about the messy, especially after ruining two pairs of underwear and getting a strain on his jeans, but he doesn’t feel awkward. If anything, he wants more. He wants some of the things he heard the Commandos talk about back in the day, and he wants things he saw doing research with JARVIS about men having sex with men. With Clint, he just wants it all.

Steve turns his head into the pillow and groans, the sound muffled by the padding. It isn’t like he’s been unaware of what he feels or what he could feel. It might have started as a crush and broadened to include physical attraction, but he’s not stupid. Inexperienced sure, but not stupid. The affection and desire he feels for Clint are evolving into something more. Something that has him thinking about years together, that has him wanting to wake up every morning with Clint plastered to his back no matter how much heat they both give off, that has him wanting to share his life with Clint until there’s no life left to share. He’s never been _in_ love before, though Peggy came very close, but he knows this is what it must feel like. He’s falling, whether Clint’s ready to hear it or not.

Now that he’s awake, Steve considers waking Clint up with more necking. The shorts he’s wearing don’t do anything to hide his own arousal, after all, and he can feel Clint’s erection pressed against his butt. That would be taking advantage, though, especially when he’s aware of Clint’s decision that they go slow and take their time. Steve respects that, even if he’s ready to move faster and get to the naked parts. From what Clint’s told him about his past with sex, it makes sense that he wants this to be slow and real and not just about sex. Steve understands, and he’s trying to compromise when all he wants is to lock themselves in the room for a few days and try everything he’s ever wanted to try sexually.

If he doesn’t get out of this bed, he’s not going to be held accountable for his actions, which means it’s time to get out of bed. Clint makes a snuffling noise behind him when he moves, and Steve stills, not wanting to wake him up. He knows Clint doesn’t sleep well or nearly enough, so he doesn’t want to disturb what seems to be a good sleep. He carefully eases himself out of Clint’s grip and moves his pillow to replace him. Clint makes a noise and his face crunches up before he pulls the pillow against him and sighs softly.

Steve grabs his sketchbook and licks the tip of his pencil before he hastily draws Clint because he knows there’s no way he can’t not capture this on paper. There’s a mark on his neck, swollen and purple from where Steve sucked on it last night during the third necking incident, and he likes seeing that mark on Clint, which he isn’t sure is a good thing or a bad thing. He hopes there aren’t many bruises on him, though, because he doesn’t want to hurt Clint, but he knows his strength gets away from him sometimes and he squeezes too hard. 

Clint looks younger when he’s asleep, more relaxed and peaceful, and Steve feels a tightening in his belly as he watches him sleep. When he realizes he’s moving into potentially creepy territory, he puts the sketchbook down and goes to the bathroom. He takes care of his morning problem standing over the toilet and thinking about how Clint tastes and feels. It doesn’t take long. Once he’s finished, he washes his hands and squirts toothpaste on his finger, brushing his teeth that way for now.

Breakfast in bed is a good way to start the day, he decides, so he quietly writes out a quick note explaining that he went to the kitchen and will be back, just in case Clint wakes up to find him gone and worries that he’s freaked out or something. Once that’s done, he carefully sneaks out without disturbing Clint’s sleep and heads down to the kitchen. It’s still early enough that their floors are quiet, so he’s surprised to walk into the kitchen and see Pepper sitting on the table reading a newspaper and eating a bagel.

“Good morning, Steve.” Pepper raises a brow as she looks at him, which makes him unconsciously reach up to try to get his hair a little less tousled.

“Morning, Pepper.” He gives up on the hair because he knows it is a bad case of bedhead that no amount of brushing with his fingers will fix. When she looks him over, he feels a flush spreading across his cheeks because it’s not like he can just ignore Tony’s proclamation the other day that he and Clint are Pepper’s Free Pass, whatever that exactly means. He’s got a pretty good idea and knows it’s just them joking, but it’s still a little awkward to be wearing an old pair of gym shorts and a tank top while she’s looking him over like he’s dessert. It’s not uncomfortable in the way Natasha made him feel weeks ago in the gym, but still.

“I’m not planning to bite you, so you can relax.” Pepper sounds amused. “You’re an attractive man, and there’s no harm in appreciating that as one might admire a fine work of art.”

“I’m relaxed.” Steve rolls his eyes when she chuckles softly. “Fine. It’s a little weird, but I guess I’m never going to get used to being looked at like that.”

“And that’s one reason you’ll continue to draw admiring stares. Your lack of ego is refreshing,” Pepper says. “Now, tell me, are you unaware of the finger shaped bruises on your biceps or are you simply comfortable with displaying them? If it’s the latter, I applaud you for being confident and support you fully. However, if it’s the former, you might wish to wear sleeves until such a time you’re prepared to be interrogated by the team and to listen to Tony either give sexual advice or make inappropriate jokes.” She smiles slightly. “Knowing Tony, I’d say we’re safe in guessing a combination of the two.”

Steve feels the heat spread quickly across his face as he looks down at his arms. Twisting them, he can see the faint bruises that Clint must have left and he even notices a couple of scratches on his shoulder. His lips twist into a smile as he traces one of the bruises before he glances up at Pepper. “Is it…would it be odd if I were comfortable with them?”

“Were they gained during consensual physical activity with the partner of your choice?”

“Yes. There was no forcing or anything like that, Pepper.”

“Then I don’t think it’s odd that two strong men happen to be a little rough during sex. If anything, I’d say it’s more common than not.”

“And the, uh, feeling. I mean. Hell, I don’t know what I mean.” Steve rubs his hand over his face and leans back against the counter. “I like them?”

Pepper blinks and nods slowly. “Do you like them in a manner that suggests you enjoy inflicting pain to cause them or to have pain inflicted upon you?”

“No. No pain.” Steve shakes his head. “I’ve heard about that, it isn’t some modern thing, enjoying sex that way, but it’s not for me.”

“So you like them because it’s visual evidence of what you and Clint shared together?” Pepper smiles gently before she begins to unbutton her blouse. Steve’s eyes widen and he starts to protest but doesn’t get a chance before she’s pointing to what looks to be a bite mark above the curve of her breast. He tries not to stare at her breasts, even though they’re _right there_ , but he does look at the bite mark. “Tony gets rough sometimes, and I certainly don’t protest any more than he does when I leave marks on him. Some things just happen when you’re having sex, Steve. There’s no shame in liking the remaining marks or finding it arousing to see them on your partner. However, if you find yourself focusing only on those marks or feeling a need to make them all the time, then you and Clint would need to talk about it.”

“I, um, could you, uh.” He motions to her open blouse, which makes her laugh. Fortunately, she buttons it again and simply gives him an affectionate look. “I don’t think I’m obsessed with them or anything weird. I just like seeing them.”

“The key to a successful relationship is communication. You have to make the effort to talk to Clint about things you discover you enjoy and to tell him if there’s something you don’t enjoy. You also need to make it clear that you expect the same from him.” Pepper takes a sip of her coffee. “It doesn’t matter how experienced you are, or aren’t, communication is key. A healthy sex life often includes experimentation, and a new relationship usually includes testing boundaries and finding comfort zones together. It’s perfectly fine that you like to see Clint’s marks on you, just as it would be fine if it wasn’t something you liked to see.”

“Right. Okay. Communication.” Steve nods even as he rubs the back of his neck. It’s more than a little strange to be standing in the kitchen in his pajamas talking to Pepper about his sex life. To actually _have_ a sex life. He starts to grin when thinking about it, ducking his head as he looks at bare feet and wiggles his toes. “Thanks for the advice. I really, really don’t want to mess this up.”

The sound of heels tapping against wood causes him to look up, and he sees Pepper walking over to him. “Anytime.” She reaches up to pat the top of his head. “You’re a good man, Steve Rogers, and Clint’s good for you. You’ll be fine. Relationships are hard work if you want them to be successful, but I don’t think either of you are scared of putting in the effort. You’re not going to mess it up.” She brushes a kiss against his cheek and smiles. “And if you two ever decide to explore exhibitionism, do be sure to let me know. That’s something I’d hate to miss.” She winks at him before putting her coffee cup in the sink and grabbing a briefcase. “I’m off to work now. Have a good day, Steve. We expect you both at dinner tonight, since you missed last night.”

“Yes, Pepper.” Steve isn’t entirely sure what exhibitionism is, but he has a pretty good feeling that it’s something sexual. There are times when he doesn’t get Tony and Pepper’s relationship but, at times like this, it makes perfect sense. Shaking his head, he focuses on breakfast and decides to make French toast and bacon. If he’s thinking about how that might lead to Clint licking syrup off his fingers, well, he’s never claimed to be a saint.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

The bow is extremely lightweight. The curve fits perfectly with Clint’s shape, and it feels like it’s been made for him. It actually has been, of course, but it’s more noticeably so than any other bow Clint’s had. The R&D department at S.H.I.E.L.D. has created various things for him over the years, but nothing they’ve ever created has been this perfect: the weight, the draw, the curve, the tension. Clint wants to cuddle it.

“Are you snuggling the bow?”

“No. I’m simply testing it, as requested.”

“You are not. You’re snuggling, Legolas. Do I need to tell Cap that there’s competition for your affections?”

“Steve knows he’s got no competition.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Tony gags before throwing a Nerf ball at him. “Focus on _Science_ and not whatever’s got you leering like a naughty teenager.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought up Steve.” Clint shrugs and picks up the ball. Without even bothering to focus, he tosses it back at Tony’s head, smirking when it hits target.

“I’ll remember not to do that again. Just enjoy the honeymoon phase while you can, Cupid. Soon enough, there’ll be arguing over clothes on the floor and skipping meetings in order to work on a new project.”

“The honeymoon phase? That’s marriage, isn’t it?”

“That’s what we call it, young Clint, regardless of vows and rings. The early stage of a relationship when all you want to do is spend time together, have sex, and everything is adorable. When that’s over, you start the real phase, which is when there’s bickering, a need for time alone, sex isn’t happening as often and anywhere possible, and those adorable things start pissing you the fuck off.”

“Oh, well, we already bicker sometimes, and we can spend time apart. I’m spending the afternoon with you, after all, and he’s out with Bruce.” Clint shrugs. He’s not sure how relationships work, but it seems self-fulfilling if people go into things expecting some unreal happy time before reality hits. He’d rather have trouble all along and know they’re in it for the long haul than have things fall apart after investing time and emotion into something. No wonder he’s never bothered with this before, not that he’s had the chance or found anyone who made him want to until Steve.

Tony just shakes his head and mutters something too quiet for Clint to hear. “How’s the bow?”

“Perfect, but don’t let that go to your head.” Clint strokes the curve of the bow. “I need to use it to know if it works as good as it looks and feels, of course.”

“I know that.” Tony rolls his eyes. “We’re going to your range next. I had to make certain that you approved of it before we put it into action, though. I know how picky you are about your weapons.”

“I don’t find anything wrong with being demanding when it’s something that’s going to be standing between me and death or saving someone else.” Clint grins. “If it’s not worthy, I’m not using it.”

“And that’s why you’re my favorite,” Tony says. He grabs a clipboard and a bottle of water as he walks around the lab table. “Well, that and the fact that I don’t have to get a crick in my neck looking up at you. We vertically challenged need to stick together.”

“That’d mean more if you didn’t change favorites like most of us change our underwear.” Clint straightens up. “And there’s nothing wrong with being short when compared to an alien God and super soldier. Bruce and Natasha are normal heights, too, so it’s Thor and Steve who are vertically challenged.”

“I…like that logic. No matter what anyone says, you’re more than just a pretty face.” Tony punches his arm. “Grab your bow, Robin Hood, your quiver of arrows awaits us upstairs.”

“I don’t have a pretty face. It’s more ruggedly handsome, thanks.” Clint smirks and leaves the lab.

“Po-tayto, po-tahto. It’s all the same.” Tony locks the lab, twisting the cap off the water bottle as they walk to the elevator. “I’m thinking about converting the empty floor underneath our public social spaces level into part of the house. I just need to restrict elevator access to it, and get a construction crew in.”

“That’ll give us five floors then,” he says thoughtfully. “Not including the two lab levels.”

“I’m thinking better staircases might be good, too. Right now, we have the ones that are more in case of fire than anything visibly appealing. With how much time we’re actually spending in the kitchen, which what the fuck is that because I didn’t even _know_ I had a kitchen until we renovated and became roomies, I think it’d be good to remodel and expand it. A bigger table for breakfast with a larger window would be on the list, too.”

“You know that we’re good with any renovations you choose.” Clint smiles. “But a bigger kitchen would be nice. Steve definitely prefers cooking to delivery, and I think he’s influencing the rest of us. But why do we need another floor?”

“More space. I realized that the suites are enough room for one person, but they won’t be comfortable for couples. The bathrooms need to be bigger, there should be enough space for king size beds, the sitting areas need expanded, and there probably should be a second bedroom for each because couples need privacy sometimes.” Tony nods along as he explains his plans. “Pepper and I have two bedrooms and an office that are part of our private suite. Maybe I’ll use ours as a copy and give everyone that model.”

“I think the space we have is pretty damn nice. Bigger than any apartment we could rent in Manhattan, in fact.” Clint steps out of the elevator when they arrive on the floor that has the gym, shooting range, and archery range. “I can see adding on to the kitchen since we’re using it a lot, but I don’t know if the rest is really necessary.”

“Whenever Jane Foster’s symposium concludes next week, I’m making her an offer that she won’t be able to refuse. There’ll be a lab next to Bruce’s for her, as well as the opportunity to do research into various projects that I know from good sources she’s been wanting to do,” Tony confides. “When she accepts, Thor won’t have to go between New Mexico, here, and Asgard, and he’ll be able to settle in better. They’ll need a larger space eventually, so I’m going to get that project started.”

Clint is surprised to hear that Tony’s got plans already in place involving Jane Foster, but he knows he probably shouldn’t be since Thor’s been with them for over a month now without any visits elsewhere, and they’re all getting used to him. If he leaves and spends most his time in New Mexico, there’s going to be an empty spot in the house. “I’m sure she’ll accept,” he says, sensing that Tony’s nervous about that despite his confident words. “How could anyone say no to their own lab and unlimited research time?”

“Exactly.” Tony grins, pushing open the door to the archery range. “It’s not just Thor and Jane, though. There’s also you and Steve. You might not have reached the point yet for sharing a place, but you’re going to need more space when you _do_ reach that point. We can’t have Mom and Dad sharing a one bedroom suite. People would think we’re bad kids.”

“We’ve only been on two dates. Definitely too early to be thinking about sharing a place,” Clint says, rubbing the back of his neck as he thinks about living with Steve like that. It isn’t a scary thought, he realizes, but he’s not sure when they’ll be ready for that step. Of course, the last two nights, they’ve fallen asleep together after spending time necking and making out like horny teenagers, so they’ve woken up together a couple of times already. It’s nice, real nice, but he’s trying not to get used to it.

Tony snorts. “You’ve been dating for months, even if you weren’t aware of it, so don’t give me that two dates bullshit. Maybe _official_ dates, but you two are taking foreplay to a whole new level.”

Clint grabs an arrow from the quiver and strokes the fletching. “Whatever,” he mutters, quickly moving into position and shooting the arrow into the middle of the bullseye.

Tony laughs, and the sound is devious. “There are so many benefits to being sober that I never would have considered. Not only am I even more of a genius mastermind, but I notice things I never would have in the past, which gives me the best ammunition when it comes to tormenting my friends. Rhodey told me I’m a bigger asshole than ever before.”

“And you take that as a compliment, obviously.”

“Of course. Rhodey meant it that way. He’s proud of me.”

“As he should be. I don’t know much about business stuff, but I’ve seen the articles that say SI is making a higher profit this year. There’s also talk about some of the new defense technology you’re working on.”

“Eh, don’t believe everything you read. The papers either love me or hate me, so it doesn’t matter what I do. I’m the second coming or the anti-christ. But, yes, SI is doing very well lately, and I’ve got so many things I’m working on that I couldn’t even try to explain them all if I tried.”

Clint shoots another arrow and grins at Tony, who is bouncing around on his heels as he talks excitedly about several of his current projects. While he talks about robots and nano-whatever and data-things, Clint listens and continues to test the bow. It’s just as perfect in action as it felt when he first picked it up, and he begins to lose himself in shooting as Tony’s voice fades away.

When Clint reaches and doesn’t find another arrow, he blinks and looks down at the empty quiver. Tony’s writing notes on the clipboard even as he dictates things for JARVIS to document for him, and he’s smiling smugly when Clint stares at him. “Guess you like it, huh?”

“It’s amazing. Lightweight but the strength is there. It’s easy to handle and aim, and I’m able to load it faster than most of the others.” Clint decides Tony’s earned the right to be smug this time, so he doesn’t fuck with him about the bow. “It’s a great piece of engineering.”

“Is there anything you’d change about it?” Tony asks, tapping his pen against the clipboard.

“Hmm.” Clint gives the question serious thought. “It’s a really good bow.” He walks over to the targets and pulls out the arrows he’s already shot. When he gets back to Tony, he shoots two arrows at once. One hits the target and the other gets close. Better results than most of his bows. “It’s good, Tony.”

“No, it’s not. You didn’t hit both bullseyes. You want a bow that lets you shoot more than one arrow, don’t you?” Tony starts nodding and writing things on his clipboard. “Of course you do. You’re an overachiever. I’ll start working out some ideas and get back to you once I have a working prototype.”

“Cool.” Clint knows there’s no point in telling Tony that he’s happy with what he’s got and doesn’t need anything else. Tony’s a genius for a reason, and that means he’s got to constantly have things to work on he’d just retreat into his head. Besides, Clint gets the feeling that this is how Tony shows he cares, since his childhood is just as fucked up as most of theirs. If he refuses, Tony would probably think Clint doesn’t accept him, and that’s the last thing Clint wants.

“Also, what’s Cap’s favorite color? And yours?”

“Mine? I like a lot of ‘em. Blue, purple, green. Steve likes blue and brown, but I don’t know his favorite.”

“Blue is good. I can use purple and brown to compliment different shades of it.”

“Just no red, white and blue. Steve would never say it, but I think he gets sick of that combination.”

“Right. Got it. Thanks, Clint. I’ve got everything I need for now. Don’t tell Thor about the offer I plan to make to Jane Foster, by the way. Pepper’s the only one who knows.”

“My lips are sealed. It’s a good plan, Tony. Good luck with it. And let me know if you need any help with the renovation plans.”

“Thanks. I need to get back to the lab, but I’ll see you at dinner later.”

Clint watches him wander out of the room and hears him talking to JARVIS about aerodynamics as he goes. With a shake of his head, he refills his quiver and decides to get some more practice in before he plans to meet Steve later for their dance class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos/comments. As always, they help inspire me to write during whatever free time I get. Hope y'all are enjoying it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, any comment/kudos is so very appreciated. If all goes as planned, this story will finish posting on Tuesday. The final story in the trilogy will begin posting later in the week. After the trilogy is complete, I'm afraid that there are likely to be one shot type stories in this verse, though, because the boys are just so loud and have a lot more things they want me to write about for them. Hopefully no one will mind! :)

The woman behind the ticket counter is familiar, and she gives them a friendly smile when they approach her. “We haven’t seen you two around lately. Some of us were starting to wonder if you’d moved or if you were cheating on us with MoMA.”

“No cheating. I’m not a huge fan of modern art, so there’s no concern about that. We’ve just been busy. Sorry, Wendy,” Steve says, apologizing even though he’s not entirely sure this is a situation that warrants it.

“It’s really my fault. Steve would probably come here every day if I didn’t distract him with other things.” Clint moves his hand down Steve’s back and leans closer. “Nice to know we’ve been missed, though.” He winks at Wendy even as his hand settles on Steve’s hip.

Wendy’s eyes widen, and she fumbles with the brochures she’s about to hand over to them. “I guess I just won twenty bucks.” She shakes her head and her smile returns as she gives them the map they don’t need but that she still insists on providing every time they visit the Met.

“Only twenty?” Clint nudges Steve and grins at Wendy as he passes over the money for their admission.

“We’re curious but not rich.” Wendy waves them on through. “Now get. I’ve got other customers in line.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Steve follows Clint and reaches up to run his fingers through his hair. “We were so obvious that museum employees had a running bet on our relationship?”

“Looks like it. We’re never, ever, ever going to tell Fury, Hill or Sitwell the details about this. We’d lose our reputations without a doubt.”

“It does make me feel pretty unobservant,” he admits. “What kind of captain am I if I can’t even see something that’s right in front of my face?”

Clint smirks. “Who says it was me that was obvious? I’ve got years more practice at being sneaky and hiding how I feel than you do, babe.”

“I think I must be good at it since you didn’t notice. Or else you’re very unobservant.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. We’re both oblivious.” Clint bumps their hips together. “Where do we want to go today?”

Steve takes the map from Clint despite knowing every gallery in the museum by now. Wendy’s right, though. They haven’t had a chance to visit in over a week. Movement in his peripheral has him focusing elsewhere for a moment before he looks back at the map. “How about the Arms and Armor? I know it’s one of your favorites, and I wouldn’t mind doing some sketching there. I’d like to practice detail work today, I think.”

“Yeah, I love those galleries. Makes me think about if we were back then, still a team, with all that armor and the weapons and having to fight without technology. I mean, in some ways, we’re not that far off. You’ve got a shield, I’ve got my bow, Nat’s got guns and knives, Tony’s got armor, Thor’s got a hammer, and Bruce’s got some anger issues. But we also have communication tools and computers and JARVIS helping us out. It’s fun to think about us kicking some medieval ass, but I know I’d rather be here now than back then.”

“Archers were often utilized in military campaigns in a way that’s been lost over the centuries. You’d get a lot of admiration and respect from the people of those times.” Steve isn’t sure why Clint doesn’t get more recognition than he does because archery requires skill and talent that not many people possess.

“Guns make more noise and it doesn’t require the same sort of dexterity that shooting with a bow does, so it’s not that surprising that it became more of an elite talent. You don’t have the same reload options like some weapons, either. You can shoot as many arrows as you can keep by you, but a gun’s going to have more bullets and require less time to use it.”

“It might be logical, but it still annoys me when I see those comments about Hawkeye using ancient weapons and being the weakest link,” Steve mutters. “They have no idea how damn good you are and how many times you save our asses.”

“And that’s why we don’t read our own press.” Clint shakes his head. “Who cares what a bunch of reports or bloggers say? Some of them call Hulk a monster, just because he’s big and green and smashes shit. Some of them say Nat’s the weakest link because she’s a girl. Can you imagine? Just because she’s got tits, she’s somehow inferior to the rest of us. I think you, Tony and Thor are the only ones who don’t make the weakest link discussions on the net, since big manly men and flying robot suits can’t be weak in the public’s opinion. They all need to get their heads out of their asses.”

“The frustrating thing is that those type of statements are coming from professional journalists. If it was just fans saying those things, we could at least understand that they might have favorites on the team or people they didn’t like for whatever reason.” Steve doesn’t bring up an article he read shortly after Tony got him a laptop that listed all the reasons Captain America no longer stood for America because he’d obviously have prejudiced and skewed political viewpoints dating from the forties. It bothered him at the time because any amount of minor research would have shown that his team had been racially diverse and hand chosen by himself. Now, he could distance himself from it and chalk it up to bad journalism.

“The fact that we have fans is still a bit much to take sometimes,” Clint says. “It’s fun, in a way, and just downright odd in another. I mean, someone actually takes time to update a social media site about my ass. What the hell?”

“Well, it _is_ an extremely nice ass.” Steve takes a moment to enjoy the view of Clint wearing another pair of tight jeans that leave little to the imagination. “Is that the site that Tony uploads photos to sometimes?”

“You’re joking, right? Nevermind. This is Tony we’re talking about.” Clint groans. “That totally sounds like something he’d do. He certainly knows more about that aspect of being in the public eye than the rest of us.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Pepper wasn’t, also.” Steve feels his cheeks flushing as he leans in closer to Clint. “She asked for an invitation to watch if we ever experimented with exhibitionism. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I asked JARVIS after.”

Clint laughs, loud enough that a few other people in the gallery glance their way. “No wonder she and Tony work. They’re both a little crazy. I can’t believe she’d--God, that’s too funny. She was probably teasing, babe.”

“Yes, well, she shouldn’t. I think JARVIS was laughing at me when he explained it,” Steve mutters, thrusting out his lower lip intentionally.

“Next time, just ask me. There’s probably not a lot that I don’t know or haven’t heard of.” Clint looks around before leaning in to kiss Steve’s lips. “Stop pouting. I’d hate to have to find a hidden corner and show you an example of exhibitionism.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever want to try it. The thought of people watching you and seeing you that way makes me more angry than aroused.” He studies Clint’s face as they reach the first of the galleries in the Arms and Armor section. “Have you done it?”

“Yes. I didn’t hate it, but it’s not one of my favorite things.” Clint looks at him. “I don’t really like to share, either. Now, doing it somewhere where we might get caught but probably won’t? Now that’s something different. I’ve thought about that, with you, and wouldn’t mind it when or if we ever decide to try it.”

Steve thinks about that as he looks at the first exhibit. The thought of him and Clint hidden away somewhere that anyone could interrupt at any time and catch them did sound a lot more exciting than being on display for a bunch of people to watch and see personal intimate things they didn’t have any right seeing. He clears his throat. “I’ll, uh, add that to the list.”

“You do that.” Clint reaches out and takes his hand, stroking his fingers across Steve’s palm. “And we should always talk about this stuff and decide what goes on that list together because it’s important that we know what we want.”

“Communication is key. That’s what Pepper told me. You’ve done a lot of stuff, I know, and I want you to tell me if I ever suggest anything that you don’t enjoy. Right now, it’s not really important since we’re nowhere near exploring most those things, but I plan to keep you for as long as you’ll have me, so I know we’ll eventually do some of them.”

“See, the thing is, I might not have enjoyed something before because of who I was with or the situation. With you, it might be better. I’m not really going to rule anything out until we reach the point where it’s up for discussion. And, for the record, I’m not planning to let you go anytime soon.”

“Good.” Steve grins and squeezes Clint’s hand. “I like that idea of just deciding as we go and not stressing about any of it. I like what we’ve done so far, and we’re both in agreement that Pepper doesn’t get to watch.”

“Right. No watching for her.” Clint smiles. “She is right about one thing, though. Your artwork should be on the walls and not hidden away in your sketchbook. It’s just as good, if not better, than most of what’s here.”

“Now you’re talking crazy,” Steve says, ducking his head. “I’m okay, but nowhere near museum quality.”

“I’m not crazy. I just know true talent when I see it. Maybe not a museum, yet, but you should think about letting others see it sometime.” Clint shrugs. “Seems a waste to keep such a gift to yourself.”

Steve runs his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. It seems private, but maybe one day I’ll consider it.” Another movement out of his peripheral makes him lean down and whisper against Clint’s ear, “Is there any particular reason that Natasha’s following us? I thought I saw her on the subway, but I know I’ve seen her twice since we got here.”

“She’ll sulk if she realizes we’ve both spotted her,” Clint says, sounding amused and affectionate. “She’s bored, and we’re both a little worried about losing some of our skillsets since we don’t really use them with the team. I’m pretty sure she followed Thor the other day, and she’s followed Bruce before, too.”

“Skillsets being stalking and spying?” Steve isn’t always able to understand what exactly Clint and Natasha have been trained to do and what their duties with S.H.I.E.L.D. had been prior to the Avengers becoming a team. He knows that he’s still bothered by the idea of them being forced to use sex on assignments, but Clint doesn’t seem to think that’s out of bounds, so he has to wonder what else they’ve had to do in the line of duty. While they don’t have those same assignments now, he can still be angry about it even if it’s nothing he can change.

“Yep. Two of them, at least. In Nat’s case, she’s always been an above average spy and the lack of undercover work makes her twitchy. If following us or the others helps her relax, I can’t really complain. She knows the limitations of privacy, especially with the team.”

Steve considers it and nods. “It’s safer to follow one of us than a stranger, at least. I’m glad we chose these galleries, though, since she’ll enjoy the various weapons on display.”

“You’re amazing, you know?” Clint smiles up at him. “You find out my best friend is spying on us, and you’re relieved we chose a gallery she’ll enjoy seeing.”

“I don’t know how amazing that is. I’m just worried what she’d do if she gets even more bored,” Steve deadpans.

Clint leans up and steals a quick kiss. “I still say amazing.”

“You’re biased, sweetheart.” Steve tugs on his hand and leads him through the gallery until they find an exhibit that interests them both. While Clint reads out the history behind the items, adding his own commentary to what’s written, Steve gets out his sketchbook and pencil and begins to draw the details of the armor and shield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed this part!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

Coney Island is pretty fun. Sure, Clint can see where it needs some repairs, and the vacant businesses are obvious, but it isn’t that seedy. Steve enjoys it, if nothing else, and they spend a few hours walking the boardwalk, riding some of the open rides, and playing games in the arcade. They even get hot dogs from Nathan’s, which is something Steve had done back in the old days. Eating a hot dog while sitting on the beach with his Steve is definitely not a bad way to spend an afternoon, so he’d call this a successful date.

They share a few public appropriate kisses on the beach, but Clint can’t relax entirely because there are a lot of people around, and he’s noticed a few disgusted looks aimed in their direction as they played tourist at the various attractions. Fortunately, Steve hasn’t seemed to notice because Clint doesn’t want anyone to spoil his belief that this is a safe and accepting place. He tries to protect Steve from the looks and rude comments as much as possible since he likes the fact that Steve isn’t afraid of kissing him or holding his hands whenever they’re in public.

When they board the train for a long subway ride back to Manhattan, Clint’s feeling lazy and sleepy. Steve’s holding a big stuffed purple gorilla that Clint won for him at a shooting booth in the arcade, and he’s talking about their day, going over things he enjoyed and comparing Coney Island now with how it used to be. He listens to the quiet murmurs while leaning against Steve’s shoulder, feeling happily drowsy despite it not being very late. Steve brushes a kiss against the top of his head and keeps talking.

Clint wakes up when Steve gently shakes him and says they’ve reached their stop. He feels more alert now, so the nap has done him some good, even if he feels bad for falling asleep on Steve that way. “Sorry,” he says, giving Steve a sheepish smile when they reach topside.

“It’s fine. You were tired, and we’ve had a busy day. Don’t worry about it. Buddy and I kept each other company.”

“Buddy?”

“I think it’s a good name. When I was younger, there was this lady who’d drive around with her pet gorilla in her car. Bucky and I saw them a few times, and it was pretty crazy. Miz Lintz called him Buddy and even dressed him in clothes. Think she gave him to the circus eventually.”

“She definitely sounds eccentric. But the circus isn’t all bad, I suppose. You’re right. It’s a good name for him.”

“I thought so. Thanks for winning him for me, by the way. We can share custody, if you want.”

Clint glances at Steve and smiles slightly. “He’ll be a lot easier to take care of than a real pet, at least. Won’t have to feed or water him.”

Steve grins and bumps their hips together. “He’s also quiet and won’t demand attention.”

They reach the tower and head up to their floor. Clint thinks about the stack of paperwork he’s been told needs to be done by the end of the week and makes a face. Tonight’s as good a time as any to get it out of the way, he decides. Looking at Steve, he says, “I need to fill out some reports for Fury, but you’re welcome to crash with me while I get them done.”

“Sounds good. Let me take a shower and change into something more comfortable first. You hungry?”

“Nah, still full from the hot dog and all that junk food.”

“I’m going to grab a sandwich after my shower, I think. The hot dogs were good, but you know me. I can eat a lot.” Steve shrugs and his smile is sheepish.

The elevator reaches their floor, and Clint steals a kiss after they step out of it. “Go on, babe. When you’re finished, just come to mine. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”

“It won’t take me long, sweetheart.” 

Clint decides to take a shower and change before he gets started on the paperwork, so he’ll be able to relax with Steve once he’s finished. After a quick shower, he pulls on a worn pair of sweats but doesn’t bother with a shirt. Necking has transitioned into shirts off the last couple of times, so he knows how much Steve likes looking at him. And how much he likes _having_ Steve look at him.

By the time Steve shows up, Clint’s halfway through the reports. He hates filling out paperwork. Phil used to let him use his office, so he’d sit on the sofa and scribble out the reports while listening to Phil work. It wasn’t so bad then. Now, though, Phil’s gone, and the paperwork’s been piling up until Fury told him that he’d better get it caught up or he’d be grounded on the next mission. The threat’s enough to make him get started on it, even if he isn’t enjoying it.

“I brought you some popcorn and a can of that orange soda you like,” Steve says, entering the room and shutting the door behind him.

“Oh great. Thanks.” Clint looks up with a smile. Steve’s got a bag with him, and he’s carrying a plate piled high with three sandwiches. “My eyes were starting to cross, so you’re a much needed distraction. Lock the door, would you?”

“That’s a lot of paperwork.” Steve locks the door and crosses over to sit on the sofa beside Clint. He’s wearing a white t-shirt and pajama pants, no socks, and he looks relaxed and adorable. “And you’re trying to tease me, aren’t you? You with your shirt off showing off what I can’t have because you need to get your work done.”

“Ooops. I guess I did forget my shirt.” Clint flutters his eyelashes and smiles innocently. “Silly me.”

“If you didn’t need to get those done for Fury, I’d be groping you right now,” Steve says, grinning as he gets comfortable. “Is it okay if I watch a movie while you work?”

“Maybe you can reward me with groping after I finish them? That’d give me incentive. And, yeah, watch whatever you want. I’m used to background noise when I fill these out.”

“Oh? It gets noisy at the office?” Steve hands him a can of soda and bag of just popped popcorn. The buttery saltiness of the popcorn combined rather well with the sweet taste of the soda.

“I used to fill it out in Phil’s office, so he’d be on the phone or typing. It’d be a lot easier if these were all computerized, but Fury’s got such paranoid ideas about hackers breaking into the system. Like Tony hasn’t already broken in and put up walls to keep everyone but him out.”

“That stack. It’s several months’ worth of work, isn’t it?”

“I’ve only completed a few reports since Phil died. I don’t need the therapists to tell me I’m fucked up about it. It’s getting done, though, so that’s the important thing, right?”

“It is important, yes, but _you_ are more important than paperwork. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just be here? That’s already helping.”

“If you’re sure?”

“I’m sure, babe. I focus better when I’m not alone, I guess.”

Clint leans over to brush a quick kiss against Steve’s mouth before he goes back to the paperwork. He glances up at the television when a movie starts and sees the credits flash for The Maltese Falcon. “Oh, this is a good one. Nat and I watched this a few years ago.”

“Bucky and I saw this together before everything changed. At the time, I thought it might be cool to be the clever loner detective.” Steve laughs. “Bogart is a much better Sam Spade that I’d ever be.”

“I think you’re a little too perky to be Spade,” Clint says, having to agree with Steve’s assessment. “But I think you’re pretty cool and clever just being Steve Rogers.”

“Get back to your reports, sweetheart. I can’t kiss you the way I want to until you’re done.” Steve smiles as he settles back against the cushions and begins to eat his sandwiches.

Clint sighs but gets back to work. He fills out report after report, taking mini-breaks occasionally to watch certain parts of the movie. “I don’t mind a reasonable amount of trouble, either,” he tells Steve, leering slightly before going back to the paperwork. When he finally finishes with it all, he puts it on the table and leans against Steve. “Now I understand why you call me sweetheart. You’re a Bogart fanboy.”

“Oh, definitely. If they had the internet back then, I’d have followed his Tweeter or whatever it’s called.” Steve puts his arm around Clint’s shoulders. “And I call you sweetheart because your eyes crinkle and you have to fight a smile every time you hear me say it.”

“Liar.” Clint nudges Steve’s side with his elbow. “My eyes don’t crinkle.”

“Uh huh. Sure they don’t.” Steve leans over to kiss Clint’s neck. “Your paperwork finished?"

“Finally. My hand’s cramping, so I don’t plan to let it get backlogged like that again. The movie’s almost over.”

“I’d rather reward you for finishing your work than see the rest of it.”

“You need to finish it. There’s only, what, fifteen minutes left? We can be patient.”

“Ha. I’m starting to doubt that since becoming involved with you. I’m becoming increasingly _im_ patient. Clint, what are you doing?”

“I’m taking your shirt off. It’s only fair, since I’ve already lost mine.”

Steve groans and leans his head against the back of the sofa. “How am I supposed to focus on the end of the movie if you’re taking my shirt off?”

“Just watch the last of it.” Clint smiles wickedly as he moves his hand over Steve’s arm, tracing his muscles and stroking his skin. “If you’re a good boy and finish the movie, you’ll be rewarded.”

“If you keep touching me, there’s no way I’m going to be good.” Steve rolls his eyes and looks at him. “What are you planning?”

“I’m not telling unless you finish watching.” Clint arches a brow. “I dare you.”

“Real mature, Clint. Daring me?” He snorts but looks at the television. “I knew I should never have told you how much I hate refusing a dare.”

“That _was_ a pretty stupid decision, babe. You totally knew I’d take advantage of that information at some point. Now watch the movie and let me play with my reward for a job well done.” Clint continues touching Steve, stroking his arm and fingers before moving his hand to Steve’s chest. His body’s a work of art, and, while Clint wants him for what’s inside, it’s definitely not a hardship that the packaging is so fucking hot.

“Clint.” Steve growls his name when Clint brushes his thumb over one of his nipples. It pebbles up, which makes him play with it a little more. Steve’s already breathing hard, and they’ve barely started. He’s so responsive, and he doesn’t even try to quiet his verbal reactions to what they do together.

“You feel so good. Have I told you how hot it is that you respond to me this way? I think it’s such a turn on.” He licks Steve’s shoulder, mouthing at his bicep as he gently tugs on his nipple. Kissing his way back up Steve’s arm, he moved his hand to his other nipple. When he starts sucking on Steve’s neck, he lazily drags his hand down his chest, stroking the soft hair he discovers on his journey downward.

Fingers suddenly grip his wrist, and Clint moans into the fierce kiss Steve gives him. “Movie’s over. Let’s take this to the bedroom.”

“Fuck yes.” Clint stands up and pulls Steve along behind him. They reach his bed, turning towards each other and kissing again, hands moving and gripping and stroking wherever they can reach. “I want you naked.”

Steve looks at him and smiles. “You sure? Not moving too fast?”

“Quit being an ass and get those pants off.” Clint starts to shove his sweatpants down but Steve stops him.

“Let me. I’ve been imagining this for months.” He slides his fingers between the elastic waist and Clint’s hips before pushing the sweatpants and his briefs down. Steve licks his lips when the fabric is out of the way, baring his dick to the cool air in the room.

“Your turn.” Clint clears his throat, feeling his dick harden even more with Steve staring at it so intently. It’s the first time they’ve stripped down this much, and he hadn’t really planned it, but it feels right. “Can I get you naked, Steve?”

“You’re unbelievable,” Steve whispers. “I’ve seen a cock before, obviously, but never like this. It’s bigger than I thought it’d be.”

Clint can’t help but laugh. “Trust me, it’s not that big. I want to see yours. You feel fucking huge. I want to know if you are.”

“It’s, um, big enough.” Steve smiles wryly before holding his arms out at his sides. “Strip me, sweetheart. I’m all yours.”

Clint steps closer and kisses him, sucking on his bottom lip while he unties his pajama bottoms. He slides his hands beneath the fabric, cupping Steve’s ass and squeezing before urging the pajamas down but keeping his underwear on. When he steps back and looks down, he can see the head of Steve’s dick poking out from the waistband of his boxer-briefs. “You’re so hard.” He pulls the underwear down, listening to Steve’s gasp when the fabric brushes against his erection. Steve’s definitely size proportionate, big and thick and curving slightly at the end.

“I want to touch you. Can I touch you? Please?” Steve curls his fingers into his palm then stretches them then curls them again, waiting for permission.

“Yeah. That’d be--“ Clint doesn’t get to finish because Steve’s pushing him back against the bed and crawling above him. “Good.”

Steve’s hands are everywhere. He strokes his legs, finds that ticklish spot behind his right knee, caresses his thighs, and squeezes his hipbones. Clint leans up and balances on his elbows so he can see what’s happening. “I know what mine feels like, but I’ve never touched anyone else’s,” Steve says, tentatively moving his fingers into the coarse hair around Clint’s dick. “You have to tell me if I do something wrong.”

“Your hand is about to be on my dick, babe. There’s nothing wrong you can do except stop.” Clint returns the grin that Steve flashes at him. “Touch me. Just do to me what feels good to you.”

Steve moves his hand, wrapping his fingers around Clint’s dick and just holding it. “You’re so hot. Warm, I mean, but also sexy. So sexy. And all mine.” He leans down and places a kiss against Clint’s belly. When he tightens his grip, Clint bucks up and whines.

“Move your hand, damn it. Stop teasing me.” Clint reaches down and tangles his fingers in Steve’s hair, tugging until he raises his head. “Kiss me.”

Steve practically pounces on him but somehow doesn’t loosen his grip. Their lips meet, tongues flicking out and bodies pressing closer. Finally, he starts to move his hand. His strokes are hesitant at first, as if he’s learning what Clint likes and doesn’t like, but they get more confident and bold as Clint reacts to everything he does.

Steve’s erection is sliding against Clint’s thigh, skin on skin, leaving a wet trail as he grinds down for more friction. Clint needs to touch, reaching down to wrap his fingers around his girth, squeezing and stroking as they work each other towards release. Steve’s making those noises of his, groaning and gasping and murmuring Clint’s name as they rub and stroke and touch. He comes first, grunting against Steve’s mouth as his body tenses then shudders. He can feel hot sticky wetness on his lower belly as Steve continues to stroke him, not letting go while he begins to thrust even harder into Clint’s hand.

When Clint feels Steve’s body become taut above him, he knows he’s close. He tightens his grip, stroking him harder as he begins to murmur encouragement. “Come for me, babe. Let me feel you. You’re so good.”

“Clint.” Steve gasps his name before he whimpers, seed spilling onto Clint’s fingers and thigh as he comes. Their kiss is sloppy and wet and they both laugh and try to catch their breath as they start to calm down.

When they finally come back to themselves, Clint reaches for some tissues so he can wipe off some of the sticky mess on them. “I don’t think these are going to do much for us,” he says, looking at the thin tissues starting to clump up when they’re wet with come.

“Don’t worry about it right now.” Steve smiles down at him. “That was…it’s much better when it’s someone else’s hand.”

“Yeah, it is. And I’ll remind you about not cleaning up when we’re crusty and gross later,” he says, shifting slightly and hooking his leg around Steve’s. “If this is always my reward, I’m going to shock Fury by keeping up with all my paperwork and making sure it’s done on time.”

“I think we can come to some sort of arrangement.” Steve leans in for a slow kiss, bringing his hand up to stroke Clint’s face as the kiss deepens. They break apart, and he smiles. “Maybe we can work on water preservation and take a shower together before we have to worry about crusty and gross stuff.”

“Water _is_ one of the most vital resources, so I suppose we should make sacrifices when we can in order to conserve it.” He traces Steve’s spine with his fingers before caressing the swell of his left ass cheek. Squeezing gently, he grins. “Shower later. More kisses now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost finished with this part! I hope y'all are enjoying it. Thanks for the kudos/comments!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Clint and Steve have realized they want to be more than just friends, they're trying the relationship thing and figuring it out together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little FYI: I have the final part of the trilogy written already (I had a mad burst of inspiration/energy/time and wrote like 15k just this last weekend ha!), and I'll probably start posting it by the upcoming . Hopefully some folks will want to read it. I'm still totally loving this ship and completely inspired by them and this verse, so I'm likely going to do some one shot fics in the verse when the trilogy is finished.

In the past two weeks, this has become routine. Steve recognizes the bed and the source of heat pressed against his back. There’s no longer that moment of panic when he wakes, wondering where he is and why he’s so hot. Now, it’s more a moment of contentment and tranquility before the day begins. He likes being the little spoon, as Clint calls it, and he’s getting used to the fact that their bodies just run hot. He’d rather be sweaty from being held than wake up to cold feet against his legs, after all.

It’s even hotter than normal this morning because they’re both naked. He’s not sure why a lack of clothes wouldn’t make it cooler, but it’s not. It’s not like he’s dripping with sweat or anything. It’s just something he’s getting used to since they started sharing a bed most nights. Steve hasn’t slept in his own bed more than a couple of times since their first sleepover. His room is becoming little more than a shower and storage space, but he knows that’s liable to change at any time. They’re still going slower than he’d like, but it makes Clint happy, and he doesn’t want him to think they’re only together for the sex, so he’s trying to push for too much, too fast.

In a way, it’s nice to just trust Clint to take care of him and pace their relationship in a way that means they’ll last. If Steve had his way, they’d have been naked weeks ago, but, in retrospect, he knows they probably hadn’t been ready for that until last night. He wants more, wants everything, but he doesn’t have experience with this. He doesn’t know if it’s like overeating to a starving man, satisfying the hunger but also making him sick from gluttony. While Steve’s been ready for the all you can eat Clint buffet, taking things slower has made it mean more to him, and he can appreciate everything they do together.

Kissing Clint is one of the best things ever. Steve’s happy to just spend hours kissing and talking and kissing some more. Necking is good, too. Rubbing against Clint’s firm body and holding him close while they both orgasm is wonderful. Last night had been unlike anything Steve could imagine. Sure, he’s fantasized about Clint naked, thought about it a lot over the months, but to actually see him and be able to touch? He still isn’t sure how he’s got so lucky. 

Fantasies can only do so much. Steve hadn’t known that the hair on Clint’s legs would tickle when he rubbed against it. He hadn’t known about the scar on his hipbone or the faded white bullet wound on his thigh. He didn’t know that Clint was ticklish when he was touched behind his knees or that he made the softest yet sexiest noise when his lower belly was kissed. Until last night, he’d only been able to think about what it felt like to touch himself when he had dreams about Clint. Now, he knew that Clint was pretty thick but not ridiculously long, that it curved slightly at the base, that it flushed purple at the head and leaked pretty liberally once he was in the moment, that he hadn’t been circumcised.

Steve hadn’t been able to concentrate as much as he’d wanted. Once they start kissing and touching, any plans he has to be suave and cool about sex just disappear. Instead of thinking, he’s just feeling and wanting and needing. It’s almost primal, and he just _wants_ so much that he can’t keep control for that long. Since Clint’s better at that part, he figures it’s something that he’ll get better at with experience. They just might have to practice. A lot.

He smiles at that thought and carefully eases himself out from under Clint’s arm. Instead of getting out of bed, he sits up and lets the sheet pool around his waist. Clint snuffles in his sleep, rolling onto his back and moving his arm up to cover his eyes. He’s still sleeping, so Steve takes advantage of the early morning light to just stare at his boyfriend. It’s not an accurate word to describe Clint. He’s not a boy, after all. He’s definitely all man. But it’s the only word Steve thinks fits because anything else sounds too clinical, too casual, or too ridiculous. _Mine_ is the best word, really, but boyfriend is probably more appropriate to use around other people.

There are various scars on Clint’s torso. Steve’s touched them and kissed a few, but he isn’t sure what caused all of them. The welts on his back are from a belt, white and faint from time, enough so that Steve knows his father’s likely to blame for those. The faded bullet wounds are a given, even if he doesn’t know the circumstances behind each of them. There’s a scar on his ribs, jagged and deep from a knife, that Natasha gave him before she became Nat in his world. Considering the years he’s spent working in the field, the few missions Steve knows went wrong and resulted in torture, and the past he had before even becoming a soldier, the scars aren’t unexpected. It doesn’t mean that Steve doesn’t want to know the history behind them all and to kiss them as if that somehow will erase the pain that caused them.

There’s not much hair on his chest, just a faint dusting between his pecs, and Steve doesn’t really mind. He doesn’t have much, either, and it’s not something that matters one way or another to him. He likes the line of hair on his lower belly, though, and the way Clint’s breath catches whenever Steve’s fingers follow the path down from his belly button to the waist of his pants. Now, there are no pants in the way, and he can see the path continue to the coarse hair surrounding his cock.

His face is beautiful. Not in a traditional feminine sense, but in a masculine way that never fails to make Steve want to sketch. There’s nothing dainty about Clint. He’s got strong features, the curve of his jaw and the lines of his nose, but his lips are soft and full. There are lines in his face around his eyes and lips that are visible evidence of his life experiences and add character to his face. Steve loves looking into his eyes, seeing the different colors that act almost like a mood ring some times. 

He supposes they’re hazel, technically, but he likes how they change from blue to green to almost grey and the flecks of gold that are visible sometimes. When Clint’s aroused, they’re the pale blue with gold flecks. Even when he’s bitching or acting like he’s going to slow them down, Steve can just look in his eyes and know how he really feels. Green is for anger and frustration, sometimes with flecks of brown. Blue without gold for when he’s happy or having fun. The pale almost grey is something Steve’s only seen a few times, when he’s lost in thoughts about the past or thinking about Coulson or talking about how they might not work out because he’s not good enough. He wants to learn every shade and emotion because Clint often says so much without ever opening his mouth. 

Clint speaks to the artist in him, he knows, and he could honestly spend hours just looking and appreciating every detail of his physical attributes. The funny thing is that it’s not even the physical that attracted him in the first place, so it’s like icing on a cake. Maybe he should go get some breakfast. He’s been thinking about Clint as an all you can eat buffet and now he’s comparing him to cake. No, he isn’t hungry. Not for food. But maybe there’s something else, if Clint wouldn’t get annoyed with him for doing it.

If he does it well, Clint won’t be able to get upset, Steve tells himself as he decides to go for it. After making sure Clint’s still asleep, he carefully moves towards the end of the bed. Once there, he gets up and goes to the bathroom. When he comes back, another check assures him that Clint’s still sleeping, so he straddles Clint and crawls back up, stopping when he reaches his destination. A gentle tug on the sheet bares Clint to him.

Steve realizes he’s nervous as he stares down at Clint’s morning erection. He wants to do this and understands the mechanics of it, but there’s still a little anxiety. Leaning down, he inhales the scent of Clint and sweat and man that’s not necessarily something he’d want to wear as cologne but still somehow makes his cock start to take notice. It’s heady, filling his senses as he breathes it in. “You can do this, Steve. Hell, you’re Captain America,” he murmurs to himself, closing his eyes and opening his mouth. He puts his mouth on Clint’s cock and moves his head down, choking almost immediately and making his eyes tear up as he pulls back and coughs.

“Wha?” Clint wakes up instantly, looking around in confusion and reaching for the gun he keeps on his nightstand.

Steve’s face is bright red, both from choking and embarrassment. “Sorry.” He sucks in a few breaths and watches Clint start to relax. “You can put the gun back. Just me.”

“What are you doing?” Clint yawns and rubs his eyes with the back of his hand before he puts the gun back on the nightstand.

“I, uh. I wanted to wake you up,” Steve says, ducking his head and trying not to sound as dejected as he feels.

“Oh? _Oh!_.” Clint clears his throat, and Steve doesn’t have to look at him to know he’s figured out what he had planned. “Are you okay?”

“No! I wanted to wake you up and make you feel good. Instead, I failed. I couldn’t even get it in my mouth without choking.” Steve looks up and sighs.

“You tried to take it all at once? Your first time?” Clint blinks at him. “No wonder you choked. I think only a porn star could do something like that, or at least someone with a lot of practice. I couldn’t do it.”

“Really?” Steve frowns. “I thought that’s how it happened. I mean, Bucky used to talk about girls sucking him, and I know that men do it to each other. What’s the difference?”

“You don’t take it all at once, babe. Why don’t you trade places with me and I’ll show you?” Clint rubs his hand over his face and yawns again but he isn’t lecturing about this moving too fast, at least.

“No. I want to do this for you,” Steve says, pursing his lips and giving Clint his most stubborn look. “You can tell me what to do, though, since you’re awake now.”

“Such an obstinate ass,” Clint mutters, but he’s smiling so Steve knows he doesn’t mean it harshly. “Okay. If you insist, who am I to refuse a blowjob?”

“Not moving too fast?” Steve decides to ask because he doesn’t want to take a step forward that results in them taking steps back.

“It’s a little fast, considering we just got naked last night, but it’s okay. I want to share this with you, and I think we’re both ready.”

“I’m definitely ready, sweetheart. Now, tell me how I’m supposed to suck you.”

Clint laughs and shakes his head. “First, we need to get a condom. It won’t taste that good, but safe sex is important.”

“We’re both clean,” Steve reminds him, knowing Clint couldn’t have forgotten the awkward time spent with Bruce doing the tests for them. “I thought condoms were only necessary if it wasn’t monogamous couples who hadn’t been tested recently?”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t want to put you at risk, test or no test.” Clint shrugs. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had sex, and I always play safe, but I think it’s better if we’re cautious.”

“I trust the test results, and I trust you. We don’t need to use that.” Steve wants to taste Clint, not whatever condoms taste like. “I want to feel you in my mouth. Just you.”

“So not fair,” Clint says. “Fine. We’ll compromise. No condom but you pull off before I come. I’m also going to get tested again, just to make sure, and you can’t ever give me that look and talk about doing sexy things to me to win an argument ever again.”

“Compromise is good. But no promises on not using sexy things to win arguments.” He smiles wickedly. “I have to take advantage of any weaknesses you have. So, what do I do first?”

“You touch me. Stroke me and maybe kiss around my dick, tease me a little. Don’t be afraid to do whatever you think might feel good, just don’t try to suck me all at once or you’ll choke.”

“Found that out already.” Steve wraps his fingers around Clint and begins to stroke him, leaning down to kiss his hipbones, belly, and upper thighs. He sucks on his skin, leaving marks, and licks them when he pulls back. He does for a while, until Clint’s breathing hard and writhing beneath him. Looking up, he smiles. “That good?”

“You’re a natural, babe. You can stop teasing now, though. My dick’s starting to feel jealous of that spot on my hip that you seem to return to a lot.”

Steve leans down to bite lightly at the spot Clint’s talking about. “I like the teasing,” he murmurs, smiling against his skin as he slowly licks his way across Clint’s body. The scent is even stronger than before. He brushes his thumb across the head of Clint’s cock, playing with the foreskin that he doesn’t have. It’s wet, so he leans down to lick at it hesitantly. It’s salty and slightly bitter, but not bad. Not good, either, but not horrible.

“Fuck, Steve,” Clint says, voice husky and rumbling. “Lick me, babe. Suck me. Need more.”

Steve looks up at him and licks his lips, which makes Clint groan and buck up into his hand. Lowering his head, he licks at the head more, curling his tongue around it and lapping at the foreskin. He gets bolder as he listens to Clint, loses some of the nerves and gains some confidence. He licks down the shaft, kissing and laving it with his tongue.

“My balls. Move your hand. Squeeze them.” Clint whines when Steve obeys his directions, moving his hand between his legs and squeezing. He goes back to licking and tasting, shifting his own body so he can grind against the mattress for friction. 

Finally, he decides to try again. He opens his mouth and slowly sucks at the head, not taking it all like his first attempt but moving slowly. The sounds Clint makes causes him to thrust more firmly against the mattress, he’s so turned on. He starts to suck, trying to breath out of his nose and trying to be careful with his teeth because he remembers Bucky and others talking about the girls who were bad at this and what they complained about most.

When he feels fingers in his hair, he raises his eyes up to see Clint watching him. “So good, babe. Feels so good. Look so hot with your lips around my dick. Not gonna last much longer.”

Steve’s jaw starts to hurt when he takes more of Clint’s length into his mouth. He’s being careful, moving slow, and it’s definitely better than the first time. Clint’s moving beneath him, his hips thrusting up into Steve’s mouth but not forceful enough to hurt him. This is more than he expected. It’s not the taste or even the act itself, but the reaction it causes in Clint. The sheer pleasure on Clint’s face as Steve does this to him. It’s intoxicating, and he wants to make Clint come. Wants to watch his face as his orgasm spreads over him.

With that goal in mind, Steve focuses even more. He licks and sucks and strokes until Clint’s gasping and murmuring nonsense while tugging on his hair. It’s only when he feels a sharp tug that he finally pulls back and off Clint’s cock. He keeps stroking him, watching his face as it flushes red and his body goes taut. The splash of warm wet against his fingers is followed by a deep grunt from Clint. Some of it splashes onto Steve’s chin and Clint’s belly as he keeps stroking until Clint lazily swats at his hand.

“Come here.” Clint’s demand is easy to follow. Steve lets go of him and crawls up his body, kissing him deeply as he begins to rut against him. He’s so close, almost came just watching Clint and feeling his seed on his skin. When Clint licks at the come on his chin, Steve’s hips jerk and he whines deep in his throat as he shudders. They kiss as he comes, sharing the taste of Clint, and it’s dirty and wrong and so damn good that he can’t even think straight.

After, Clint strokes his back and hair, whispering soft words to him as he calms down. Steve burrows closer to Clint, pulling him against him and holding him close. He smiles as he tilts his head and they kiss again, just enjoying the moment before they have to get up and start the day. He’s not sure where their road’s going to lead, but he knows they’ll make the journey together because he’s never planning on letting Clint go.

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! I wanted to say thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to leave a comment or kudos. I appreciate the support, and it definitely adds some cheerleading in the background as I write. I hope y'all enjoyed this story and had fun with Clint/Steve! <3


End file.
